Rookwood Road
by Mooneater8044
Summary: Frisk and the monsters have been above the Underground for little over a year, but Frisk is suddenly plagued with terrible nightmares from their past. Now they must put it behind them, but how can they, when it nearly kills them?
1. Chapter 1

_Frisk let out a scream as the femur pierced their gut, narrowly missing their spine by mere inches and pinning them to the golden pillar behind them. They hear the gaster blasters ready themselves again, rearing with energy that bounced off the walls. Nearby, they could hear Sans._

 _"_ _Dirty brother killer," He snarled, left eye flashing a dark sapphire. Frisk tried to move, but the femur had them pinned. They felt their HP draining, down to half._

 _"_ _You really are in for a bad time," Sans sliced his hand down and a new onslaught of bones flew toward Frisk, each of them glowing with anger. Frisk let out a maniacal laugh and sliced the knife downward, slicing through the femur that pinned them to the wall. They rushed toward Sans, laughing all the while._

 _"_ _Kill or be killed, kill or be killed, kill or be killed," Frisk chanted, their voice somehow not their own._

 _Chara._

 _Sans dodged their attacks, but sweat beaded his shining skull. He sent more gaster blasters toward them, but Chara was in control now. They dodged his blows, swooped under his raised arm and drove the knife upward._

 _Blood._

 _Sans coughed, then stumbled backward. Frisk smiled, but then the smile fell as they realised their HP was still draining._

 _"_ _No, no, no!" They screamed, stumbling into a pillar._

 _5/20_

 _"_ _No, you're dead, Sans! You can't hurt me!"_

 _But it wasn't Sans who was hurting them. It was a familiar, cold hand that was choking them, screaming at them._

 _"_ _You're a monster! Your mother and I are cursed with you!"_

 _3/20_

 _"_ _Frisk! Frisk!_

"FRISK!"

Frisk jerked awake in their bed, screaming bloody murder. Rough vines were wrapped around their arms and legs as they thrashed and before them was their soul, glowing a dark blue. Sans stood in the doorway, arm outstretched and hand clenching Frisk's soul, stopping them from rolling off the bed and hurting themselves. Flowey sat in his pot beside Frisk's bed, his vines twirling around their limbs and his face in a state of shock.

"Kid!" Sans gasped as Frisk fell limp. Frisk breathed hard and fast as Flowey held them down, beginning to sob.

"S-ans." They whimpered, twitching.

Sans rushed to their side, kneeling and pushing Flowey's vines away.

"Hey, kiddo. It's me, dunkle Sans." He sounded as if he were on the verge of crying. Frisk glanced up, searching for their HP, which normally didn't appear unless they hurt themselves.

1.

Their blood ran cold.

1/20.

They shook and Sans glanced at Flowey. "You can let 'em go."

Flowey grumbled under their breath, but let his vines retract back into his pot. "Stupid idiot." He hissed, glancing at Frisk with an abnormally tender look. Frisk sobbed and Sans glanced worryingly at their HP, which throbbed dangerously. He released his hold on their soul, then scooped them up into his arms. The skeleton was shaking as well, in fear, or in shock, Frisk didn't know.

All they knew was that they'd nearly killed themselves over a stupid dream, one that they should not have even remembered. They sobbed into Sans' shoulder, shaking as the skeleton's bones rattled.

"Kiddo, you're alright. It was just a dream. Just a dream," Sans whispered, glancing over at Flowey. Frisk followed his gaze and saw the flower had dropped his gaze, his leaves rustling. The flower was scared. Frisk snivelled, feeling weak from their low HP.

"Don't move, Frisk." Sans said hoarsely. "I'll get you some Nice Cream, alright? Don't move."

Sans laid them gently on the bed, shaking. One wrong move and what was left of the kid's health would disappear. Their soul was cracked. Whatever messed-up dream they had been having had gone so far it had _hurt_ them. His bones rattled as Frisk curled into a ball, sobbing into their pillow as he rushed downstairs to the kitchen, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Frisk cried, feeling their soul shake. They tried to find DETERMINATION, but just found a horrendous, gut-wrenching feeling. They could feel as if he were choking them again. A soft vine curled around their hand and they snivelled, looking up at Flowey. The flower's face wasn't turned toward them, but a vine had curled around their hand in a comforting manner and Frisk sobbed into it.

"You're getting me wet, idiot." Flowey said, but without much conviction. Frisk let out a reedy laugh. Sans returned seconds later, holding a bowl of Nice Cream in his hand.

"Here, kiddo." He whispered, sitting on the bed and handing Frisk the bowl. Frisk struggled to sit upright, feeling weak as their HP shuddered. Sans could see how they were struggling and took the spoon in his hand, feeding them. Their HP crept up slowly and Frisk could hold the spoon by themselves.

They set the bowl aside and signed to Sans, **_Thank you. I'm ok._**

"What happened, kid?" He asked, his left eye flickering briefly. "Did someone come in here? What-"

"They hurt themselves." Flowey muttered.

Sans glanced at the flower as Frisk hung their head in shame. "What?"

"Why do you think I was holdin' 'em down, smiley trashbag?" Flowey growled. He turned and shuffled his flowerpot further away from Frisk, retracting his vine until it hung just over the edge of the pot. "I'm tired; take your conversation somewhere else."

Sans glowered at Flowey, still not trusting the flower. They'd been at odds ever since Sans had tried to toss his pot into a fire. Frisk had stopped him, though. Sans gathered Frisk in his arms, standing and casting a cold look at Flowey.

"Let's go kid," Sans said quietly, shutting Frisk's door behind him as he walked out into the hallway, Frisk still sniffing in his arms. Sans entered his room, kicking aside papers and pillows as he strode to his bed. "I'll stay awake 'till you fall asleep." He winked an eye socket, smiling a large grin. "Wouldn't want you to get **_bonely_**."

Frisk gave a weak giggle and Sans was even more concerned. That pun usually had them in stitches. He could hear Flowey shifting his pot in the other room and when Frisk had somehow drifted off to sleep, he carefully slid out of bed and back into Frisk's room.

Flowey was sitting on the windowsill, one curtain pushed aside. Sans stepped over the blankets and other gifts that Frisk had received for being the monster's chosen ambassador and glowered at the flower.

"What. Happened?" He snarled, his eye flickering to life. Blue flames danced on the side of his face and Flowey glanced at him nonchalantly.

"What's wrong, smiley?" He asked, his voice not as mocking as it used to be. "Reality finally setting in?"

"Did you hurt Frisk?"

"Hell no," Flowey snarled, the flower's face turning malignant. "And if you dare accuse me of something like that again, I'll-"

"Try me, weed," Sans growled, reaching forward and grabbing Flowey by his stem. "Tell me exactly what happened."

Flowey brushed off the skeleton's hand, looking out at the moon again. There was a brief pause before he spoke again.

"You know there are some bad people in the world, right?" Flowey mused, his petals quivering. "Well… it looks like Frisk might've been raised by two of 'em."

Sans frowned. "What?"

"Don't act so surprised they tell me more than they tell you," Flowey hissed. "I'm not even supposed to be telling you this." The flower shifted in his pot, gazing out at the moon. Sans leaned an elbow on the sill, eye returning to its normal state.

"Tell me." He said quietly.

Flowey glanced at Sans, then back out at the moon. The flower looked almost… sad. Troubled would be more appropriate for the expression on his face. "Chara was the same. Screaming. Crying." Flowey turned to Sans, meeting his eyes. "There are some bad, bad people in the world, Sans. They hurt people. Badly. Whatever Frisk's parents did to them, they're not even _human_."

Flowey then shifted. "Now get out, trashbag," He grumbled, throwing Sans an angry look. "You're disturbing me."

Sans blinked once, then slowly retreated, closing the door behind him. He heard Flowey sigh heavily, then the soft snores of his breathing. Papyrus had gone out for the night, leaving the house unnaturally quiet. Everything was still. It wasn't natural and when Sans returned to his room, he was almost frightened to see that Frisk had somehow gotten twisted in the sheets. He carefully untangled them from the prison and held them close. At first, he thought he was doing it to provide comfort, but when they tried to move he realised he was trying to stop them from hurting themselves again.

He pressed his forehead into Frisk's hair, bones rattling as Frisk slept.

"What happened to you, kid?" He whispered.

In an answer, Frisk shuddered.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a mere week after the incident, but during that time Frisk had been trying to stay determined. It wasn't easy, and nightmares plagued them every night.

Sans had mentioned nothing to Toriel and Papyrus, but the two could still tell something was wrong. Toriel especially. The newly-appointed headmistress of Mount Ebott's school for Monsters and Humans had been a very successful venture. Sans regularly attended the meetings, often snoring in the back of the room whilst Papyrus jabbed him, trying to wake him up. Frisk attended the one meeting, signing to Sans that they'd like something to drink.

"Freak."

Sans jerked at the comment and Frisk flushed. Sans glanced around and saw a mother leading her child away from the pair of them, a disgusted look on her face. Frisk burrowed deeper into their jacket, stuffing their hands inside their pockets. Flowey, who was in Frisk's hands, glowered reproachfully at the woman and the child.

Sans' eyes went completely black and he took a step forward, but Frisk reached out and grabbed his coat. They shook their head and merely pointed to the hall's doors. Sans regretfully turned and followed Frisk inside, watching as Papyrus ate a large plate of French fries in the front row of chairs. Sans led Frisk there, glancing around the room.

"Wow, kid. Not a lot of parents here."

"That's 'cause they hate us, trashbag." Flowey grumbled from his pot, which Frisk had placed on their lap.

 ** _They don't hate us._** Frisk signed, although their faces said otherwise. **_We're just early._**

"Lies." Flowey hissed, leaning over to snap at Papyrus' plate of French fries. "Feed me." He snarled. Frisk giggled and Papyrus held the plate above his head.

"HUMAN! STOP THE FLOWER FROM EATING ALL MY FOOD!" Papyrus cried as Frisk laughed.

"Aw, c'mon now, Papyrus," Sans winked, "No need to get **_salty._** "

"SANS! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS!" Papyrus screamed as Flowey latched onto his arm.

"I'm starving! Feed me, peasant!" Flowey screamed as Papyrus got to his feet. Frisk was laughing, tears streaming from their face and Sans smiled even wider.

"Flowey, **_leaf_** Papyrus alone." Sans sniggered as Papyrus tried to yank Flowey off his arm. "You're being a **_lilly_** bit rude."

"SANS STOP!" Papyrus finally managed to yank the flower off his arm and Flowey hissed, eyes rolling.

"I'm starving!" He cried as Frisk took him back. "I'll die if I don't eat, Frisk!"

 ** _But Flowey, we just ate._** Frisk signed.

"I'm going to starve!" Flowey moaned, flopping over in his pot. "And the smiley trashbag will turn me into compost!"

"I don't have to wait for ya to die, petals." Sans said, winking an eye. Frisk shot him a look, but he shrugged his shoulders. "I'll get 'im something to eat. I'll be back in no **_thyme_**."

Frisk giggled and Papyrus let out a distressed moan. Sans sniggered and picked up Flowey's pot.

"I hate you." Flowey hissed as Sans strode out of the room.

"Aw, c'mon, petals. You're **_kale-_** ing me here."

"I will strangle you." Flowey snarled as they stepped out into the hallway. Sans glanced back once at Frisk, then continued to walk down to the small coffee stand that had been set up by one of the parent's. A very sweet woman was manning it and she gave Sans a polite smile.

"Oh, hello!" She said brightly as Sans set the flower pot on the table.

"Hi. He's hungry." He gestured to Flowey, who gave a hiss in the woman's direction.

"Well, we do sell some small pies backed by the headmistress herself!" The woman said brightly. "Butterscotch-cinnamon pies."

Flowey groaned even louder. "No… no…" He growled, flailing in his pot and flapping his leaves. "I'm not eating that trash!"

"We'll take four." Sans dug around for his wallet and brought out some money as the woman bent down and retrieved four small pies from the box below the table.

"Are you going to take long?"

Sans turned sharply at the familiar voice. It was that woman again, a very sharp-faced person with a mass of brown hair in a messy bun. Sans frowned and Flowey stopped flapping his leaves.

"We're just finishing up." He said coldly as Flowey shuffled to glower at the woman.

"Well, can you hurry up? That thing is dirtying the table."

Flowey's face turned into that cold, creepy smile that he'd worn when he'd trapped all the monsters in his vines. He looked completely insane.

"On the contrary, lady, you're dirtying the corridor." He hissed. The woman's face hardened.

"You're all freaks. All of you. Especially that little monster-loving kid."

Sans' eye flickered. "Excuse me?"

The woman who'd been sitting down looked frantically between Sans and the woman. "Merida, don't-"

"Stay out of this, Helen!" Merida snapped, her face screwed up with a dangerous look. "They're freaks! Especially that Frisk child." She gesticulated in a very insulting manner, mimicking Frisk's signing. "I can sympathise with mutes, but that child isn't even human!"

There was a whoosh of energy and a gaster blaster appeared next to Sans, his left eye flickering with blue flames. "Lady, you're cruisin' for a bruisin'."

"I agree, trashbag." Flowey snarled, bullets appearing next to his pot and spiralling around his face. "Frisk might be stupid, but they're my friend."

"Exactly that," Merida said, not at all troubled by the enormous, dog-like skull that Sans had summoned out of thin air. "They're stupid. No wonder their poor parents abandoned them. They had every right to!"

Sans readied a blast, but at that moment he felt a small hand tug at his jacket. He turned and looked down, right at Frisk.

Their face was indifferent and they shook their head. **_It's ok. Don't make it worse._**

Sans ground his teeth hard enough for them to actually hurt, but he dispelled the gaster blaster and stuffed his hand into his pocket, the other grabbing Flowey. Merida gave Frisk a positively venomous look.

"I hope you know that you're a blight on this school. Ever since that **_goat_** started teaching here it's all gone downhill."

Flowey let out a scream and before Sans or Frisk could stop him, a hail of pellets sailed toward Merida. The woman's face paled and she raised her arms to defend herself, but a femur popped out of the ground, stopping the bullets from hitting the woman's body.

"BROTHER WHAT HAPPENED?" Came Papyrus' voice. Flowey snarled and screamed as Sans grabbed his pot, the flower straining his petals toward the woman.

"I'll kill you! That woman was my mother!" Flowey screamed, his pot quivering as Sans held him back. "No one gets to insult her but me!"

Papyrus mad the femur disappear and Merida stared at the angry flower with utter hatred. "Freaks! All of you!"

She turned on her heel and bolted away, her high heels clacking sharply against the floor. Sans glanced at Frisk and saw that their face was downcast. The held out a hand and he handed Flowey to them. The flower was breathing heavily, but stiffened when Frisk clutched them close to their chest. Frisk said nothing and merely turned around, walking quietly to the meeting room. Sans felt embarrassed, more so than usual. He groaned and pulled the strings of his hoodie, encasing his skull in the soft material.

"G-goodness gracious." Helen gasped, looking after Merida. "I-I thought she'd be angry, but not t-this angry."

"WHY WOULD SHE BE ANGRY?" Papyrus asked, glancing at Sans. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS SAVED HER!"

Helen looked confused as Sans emerged from his hoodie. "Ignore him," He insisted, shaking his skull. "Hey, buddy, go check on Frisk, alright?"

"INDEED, BROTHER!" Papyrus said, taking off down the hall toward Frisk. Sans sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Sorry about that-" he began.

"N-no, it's alright." Helen giggled. "Although, I must say I don't blame Merida… she um… she had a child who went to the mountain. They… didn't come back."

Sans dipped his head a little. "I didn't know."

"It's alright. Not many people do." Helen glanced at the corridor, then back to Sans. "Frisk's parents… I hear they abandoned them on the mountain?"

Sans raised an imaginary eyebrow, "Yeah…"

"Oh, goodness." Helen clapped a hand to her mouth. "S-so the rumours are true? About Rookwood Road?"

"Wait, wait." Sans held up his hands. "What rumours?"

"You don't know?" Helen looked slightly shocked, then her face fell a little. "Oh… It isn't really my place to say, but… there were rumours about a family that left their child on the mountain. But it could be anyone, I'm sure-"

Sans leaned forward, hands on the table. "What else can you tell me?"

Helen swallowed. "W-well, I don't know the full story, but…" Her eyes turned dark. "Apparently the family tried to kill their child."


	3. Chapter 3

Frisk glanced at Flowey, sitting on their windowsill. They stopped drawing for a moment, then picked up their pencil again. Flowey glanced over at them, then rolled his eyes comically.

"Will you stop doing that?" Flowey hopped in his pot, turning to face them. "You're not doing anyone any favours, dropping your pencil and picking it up again. Draw, or don't, but stop making a noise."

 ** _Sorry._** Frisk signed. Flowey cocked his head to one side, his leaves quivering. Frisk reminded him so much of Chara. They loved to draw, too. But Chara wasn't like Frisk. He had learned that the hard way. Frisk picked up their pencil and began to draw on the side of their page. Flowey leaned over, trying to see what they were drawing.

It was a very good picture, so far. The kid had talent. But what Flowey saw was anything but nice, or comforting. It depicted a shadowy figure, reaching under what looked like a bed toward Frisk. The kid had been drawing a lot of things lately, and none of them good. Then again, they always hid it when Sans or Toriel came nearby.

"Having fun?" Flowey asked, rocking in his pot.

Frisk paused, then glanced at Flowey. They put down their pencil, scrunched up their paper they'd been drawing on and tossed it in the bin. They then picked up Flowey's pot and set it gently on their desk. The kid looked as if they were on the verge of crying.

 ** _Promise you won't tell Sans._** Frisk signed.

"I don't keep promises, idiot." Flowey rolled his eyes again, grumbling silently to himself.

 ** _Please?_**

Flowey rocked in his pot again, then growled. "Fine! I don't care, anyways."

Frisk gave a small, sad smile. Then they stood and removed their jumper, exposing their skinny arms. Flowey frowned when they removed their shirt, then his jaw dropped ever so slightly when Frisk turned.

Scoring their spine and decorating their shoulders were long, deep gashes. They looked very old, but they must've hurt at one stage. They were pure white, criss-crossing over Frisk's skin and making it look puckered and ugly. Frisk turned around, silently picked up their shirt and slipped it back on. They sat down, putting on their jumper as well.

Flowey and Frisk were silent for a moment before Frisk held up their hands.

 ** _Am I a monster?_**

"What kind of a stupid question is that?" Flowey snarled, but his voice quivered. Frisk shook their head.

 ** _I still hear them in my head._** Frisk gestured to their head, their eyes shut tightly. **_All the people that I killed. All the people that Chara helped me kill from timelines I don't want to ever happen again._**

Flowey froze, but let the kid continue. **_I was abandoned, because I was a monster. I was beaten because I was a monster. My own parents didn't even want me because I could hear the Underground. I heard the souls of monsters._** Their hands quivered as they continued. **_I heard Chara. I still hear Chara. But does that make me a monster? Am I monster, Flowey?_**

Flowey didn't say anything for a moment and stared at Frisk. Their face was shining with tears. "Frisk, why do you even tell me these things?" He looked down at his roots, which twitched uncomfortably. "I don't have a soul anymore. I can't feel…"

 ** _But you're my friend._** Frisk signed, a small sob escaping them.

Flowey stiffened, then looked up at Frisk. Frisk sniffed, rubbing their face on the sleeve of their jumper. They then took a deep breath and began to sign some more.

 ** _I tried to die, but I couldn't. I wanted to leave the Underground because I thought that if I… if I went back to my parents, they'd want me again._** Frisk paused. **_I want to see if they want me._**

"Wait, you're going back to them?" Flowey's jaw fell and then he rocked in his pot, face twisting in anger. "That's a stupid idea! You don't even know where they are! Look what they did to you!"

 ** _I must._** Frisk looked on the verge of tears. **_If they don't want me, then I can't be good for Toriel or Sans or Papyrus or anyone._** They now had fresh tears streaming down their face. **_If I find out what I did wrong, then I can be a better person so I won't want to-_**

They stopped, hands shaking. Flowey knew which word they'd been about to use. He stared at them in shock, his petals drooping. "Frisk… you don't want to do that anymore, do you?"

They didn't answer and Flowey's face twisted. "Oh, so we're not good enough for you? We're just your little playthings? I think you like not being able to die! Then you can just reset all you want!"

Frisk flinched, but Flowey was feeling something he hadn't felt in a long time: Anger.

"Oh, look at me, I'm Frisk!" Flowey roared as Frisk began to sob. "I want to kill myself that everyone can play in my little game over and over again! I don't care about this happy ending I've gotten; I want to screw up EVERTHING!"

His face had twisted into that malevolent growl, where his eyes turned completely black and large, his mouth a tear in his face. Frisk had clapped a hand over their mouth and was now staring at Flowey, shaking.

They then stood and raised their hand. Flowey yelped as their hand collided with his pot, sending it flying onto their bed. He bounced harmlessly against the sheets, but Frisk cried, their body shaking as they ran from their room. Flowey heaved himself up, staring at the door with an angry expression.

"IDIOT!" He screamed, rocking in his pot.

But there was no answer.

* * *

Sans strode into the kitchen, where Toriel was cooking. Papyrus was helping her, excitedly explaining how Undyne had arrested a jaywalker before beating him up a little too much.

Sans yawned and grabbed a bottle of fresh ketchup from the fridge. He glanced around, popping off the cap and then looking at Toriel.

"Hey, Tori, seen the kid?"

Toriel turned, adorned in Frisk's apron that they'd given her. World's Best Mom was proudly displayed on the apron in bright gold letters and she'd loved it from the start. She frowned, continuing to stir the spaghetti sauce Papyrus had given her.

"No, dear, I haven't. Aren't they in their room?"

Sans shrugged. "Dunno… lemme check."

He sipped at his ketchup as he mounted the stairs to Frisk's room. The door was open and he flicked the light switch. "Kiddo?"

"Get out, trashbag!" Flowey snarled from the bed. Sans frowned, sipping at the bottle of ketchup.

"What're doing on their bed? Get off."

"I can't!" Flowey hissed, rocking in his pot. Sans glanced at him closely and snorted. The flower's pot was caught between the bed and the wall, making it impossible for him to move.

"Well, there isn't a monster _under_ the bed anymore," Sans sniggered, sipping at his ketchup. "Alright, where's the kid?"

Flowey stopped struggling and stared at Sans. "They… they aren't in the house?"

Sans frowned. "What?" He said, his voice low and taking on a dangerous tone. "It sounds like you don't know where they are, petals."

"I don't!" Flowey hissed. "We had a fight and they ran away!"

The bottle in Sans' hand shattered. The ketchup looked like blood, staining the floor and his hands as he shot toward the bed and grabbed Flowey by the stem. The flower screamed as he was wrenched from his pot, but Sans choked him.

"Where's Frisk?!" He roared, shaking Flowey roughly.

"Let go of me, you stupid trashbag!" Flowey howled, his face morphing into a horrendous mask. "They ran away!"

Sans threw Flowey on the bed, his hand scratching at his skull. Frisk? Run away? That hardly seemed right in his mind. He glanced out the window; it was the middle of winter. Snow was layering the pavements. They couldn't have gone far, could they?

"What did you fight about?" Sans growled, grabbing Flowey.

"Nothing that concerns you, idiot." Flowey snarled, struggling. "I won't tell. I don't care about them."

"Yeah? Without them holding me back, I might just crush you into mulch, petals." Sans said coldly, his left eye flickering again with power. Flowey looked somehow pale and he shook.

"I don't care." He snarled, looking down. "They're stupid, anyways. They wanted to find their parents."

Sans went cold. "Their… parents?"

"Did I stutter, trashbag?!" Flowey roared, shoving Sans away with his vines. "They went. To find. Their. Parents." He snarled, annunciating each word with a growl. "Are you so thick that doesn't make sense?"

"Flowey, you don't understand…" Sans said, feeling sick despite not having a real stomach. He looked down at the ketchup on his hands, which looked even more like blood in the light. "Their parents… they'll kill Frisk."

Flowey stopped moving. "Huh?"

"They'll kill Frisk." Sans felt as if the room were spinning. "Oh God… kiddo…" He stopped himself from being sick by steadying himself on the wall. "You stupid, inconsiderate flower." He snarled, his eye flaring and his hands clenching. "You're gonna help me get them back."

"Make me." Flowey hissed.

Sans grinned. It wasn't his normal, carefree smile. It was cold, it was controlling and it was the look of a monster who had nothing to lose. He snapped his fingers and Flowey screeched as he was picked up by blue magic.

"Let's go, petals." He growled, striding toward the door. "You have some explaining to do."


	4. Chapter 4

Frisk had not had a happy childhood. The scars on their back and their arms could be healed, but the wounds in their heart could not. It had been one of the reasons why they'd jumped down that stupid hole in the first place. Instead of death, they found they'd landed on a bed of golden flowers. The stupid things had softened their fall.

But now they were going to find out what they did wrong. They were going to find out why they'd been left on that mountain.

Getting money had been easy. They'd always had some stashed in the couch. It was a very chilly winter and they shivered as they waited in the bus stop, teeth chattering. They wished they had Sans' jacket; the large blue hoodie with a comforting smell of Grillby's. But instead all they had was their jumper, the very one their parents had left them in.

People whispered as they passed them. Of course they would. They were the human ambassador for the monsters, sitting alone on a bus stop waiting for a bus that may or may not come. It wasn't a very comforting picture. Frisk shivered and wrapped their arms around themselves, finally deciding it would be quicker to walk.

They stood, shuffling through the snow. It was very cold and their fingers were numb with the cold. Snowdin had been cold, but not as cold as this. There had been no wind to drive the cold into your bones. Frisk found themselves taking a very familiar route, the one that led to the new Grillby's. It was located right next to Muffet's shop, which smelled of doughnuts and warm cider.

Grillby's was packed that night. Monsters and humans were milling around in the booths and as Frisk pushed open the door, they could hear the new jukebox playing in the corner. The light that filled the bar was from the bartender himself, Grillby. The flame elemental stood behind a polished counter, idly washing it with a cloth.

Frisk walked up to the counter and heaved themselves up onto a stool. Grillby noticed and his face cracked into a large, happy grin.

"Frisk." He said, the word hissing like warm coals. He wandered to them, smiling widely. "It's been so long."

 ** _Hello, Grillby._** Frisk signed, smiling. **_How's business?_**

"Oh, very good." Grillby wiped a glass with another rag, adjusting his glasses. "Sans comes here every other night… still hasn't paid off his tab."

Frisk smiled. They had a feeling that Grillby didn't care about the tab. At the mention of Sans, however, they felt guilty and their face fell. Grillby noticed and gave them a reassuring grin. "Want fries?"

Frisk began to nod, then shook their head. **_Hot cocoa._**

"Oh? I thought you didn't like chocolate."

Frisk smiled sadly. **_Had a change of heart. Cocoa, please._**

Grillby smiled. "Milk?"

Frisk nodded vigorously; they were chilled to the bone and the heat resonating off Grillby was lovely. Grillby winked from behind his glasses and bent down to retrieve a shiny mug, retreating slightly to fill it with some hot milk.

Frisk felt a strange, gutting movement in the back of their head. They recognised the feeling. It was of Chara, the first human child who had fallen into the Underground. Frisk knew they would come.

"Here's your chocolate, Frisk."

 ** _Thank you._**

Grillby left, but there was a new person at the bar, sitting in the stool next to Frisk.

 ** _Hello, Chara._**

Chara didn't respond. They merely stared at the counter, auburn hair falling in a curtain to hide their face. The human child looked no older than twelve, wearing shorts and a dark green sweater with gold stripes. Frisk pushed the cocoa toward Chara, who didn't move at first, but eventually took it in their pale hands.

"What're you doing here, Frisk?" Chara asks, the pink blush that seemed permanent in their cheeks creeping up even more. "You look mad; giving your drink to someone who isn't even here."

Chara took a sip of the cocoa and a shudder ran through them. "I can't remember the last time I-I…"

 ** _Drink._**

Chara finished the hot chocolate, then pushed the mug back to Frisk. Chara leaned on the counter, looking thoughtful as they stared into Frisk's eyes. They eventually smiled.

"So… finding your parents, huh?" Chara snorted. "That's a laugh. Mine are dead. Yours might be, too."

Frisk shook their head. **_I can feel it. They're alive._**

Chara sighed, rolling their eyes and tapping their long fingers on the counter. "Frisk, no offense, but you're really stupid."

Frisk smiled. **_Flowey misses you._**

Chara blinked, then looked away. "Oh yeah? Big cry baby." They sniffed and Frisk could've sworn they were crying. "How's mom? Still making those pies?"

Frisk nodded, then glanced at Grillby, who was talking with a customer. They then turned to Chara, scooting their chair closer to the dead child.

 ** _Chara, I need you to help me._**

Chara raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

 ** _I don't want anyone to get hurt. I want you to help me find my parents as quickly as possible._**

"That smiley skeleton of yours might just kill me again if he finds out you can still talk to me." Chara said, tilting their head to one side. "I don't think he's so happy after I killed his brother and then everyone he ever knew or loved."

Frisk winced. They had reset the timeline for that purpose, but it seemed as if Chara remembered. Well, they would; if Frisk could remember, it made sense that Chara could, as well. They sat in silence for a long while. Grillby served other customers, refilled Frisk's cocoa, but didn't notice the extra customer.

"I'm sorry." Chara said quietly, staring at Grillby as he moved around. "That was a little harsh… I know that's not a nice subject for you to dwell on."

 ** _You're not a nice person._** Frisk pointed out.

Chara laughed. "Of course I'm not! I hate humans. You should too, after what your parents did to you."

Frisk shook their head and began to sign again. **_I must've done something to make them that way. I have to believe there is good in some people… like you. I know you're not a nice person, but it doesn't mean you're a bad one, either._**

Chara rolled their eyes. "Now who's the gullible one?" They sneered, leaning on their elbows and tilting their head to one side. "Not all people are good, Frisk. I'm one of them. Stuck forever in your head, watching you have a family and growing old; those are all things I wanted to tear away from humans because of how _despicable_ they are. They never did me any favours."

Frisk rubbed their eyes, feeling tired. Then they sighed and signed some more. **_I need to find them… please. Will you help me?_**

Chara didn't answer. Then, "Let's go to my village… There's a guy there who… he might've been the one who told your parents to leave you on the mountain." Their face twisted. "He did that to mine."

Frisk remained silent. After a while, they left the bar. Grillby looked for Frisk afterward, only to find a single golden flower sitting in the chair next to their own. It wilted almost immediately.

* * *

"FRISK!"

"Frisk! Where are you, dear?!"

"Kiddo! Come on!"

The streets were empty, but Toriel, Sans and Papyrus were scouring them all the same. Flowey was in a jar that Sans had fished out from the garbage; the little freak deserved it. Asgore was also helping; he was scouring the other end of town with Undyne and the rest of the police force. The policemen of the small town loved Frisk; who wouldn't?

Sans ground his teeth as he wielded his flashlight, searching for any sign of the human child. It was bitterly cold and if Frisk was outside without a jacket, they'd surely be freezing by now. Sans and Papyrus couldn't feel the cold, but by the way Toriel was shivering, he could tell.

"Oh, poor child." Toriel had tears in her eyes. "I can't lose another one… not another one."

"Tori, you aren't going to lose them." Sans insisted, patting her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll find 'em."

"But Sans, what if we can't?" Toriel sniffed. "What if they- what if-"

Sans shook his head, reaching behind him to yank Flowey out of his bag. The flower had a sour face and he began to hiss as Sans shook him around in the garlic jar.

"I'll kill you!" Flowey snarled, his roots writhing.

"Keep talkin', petals." Sans said, scratching the side of his skull. "Now, you know Frisk better than anyone. Where would they go first?"

Flowey snarled, but without much effort. He then rolled his eyes and slumped in his jar, grumbling to himself. "That hothead friend of yours might know. Why don't you bother him instead?"

"Will do." Sans stuffed him back into the back, shutting it tightly and glancing at Toriel. "Let's stop at Grillby's. He might know if Frisk passed by."

Toriel nodded, pulling her coat tighter around herself. Sans waved Papyrus over and his brother had never looked so worried.

"SANS, WILL FRISK BE ALRIGHT?" He asked, his voice quivering.

"Sure, bro." Sans said, cracking a grin. "Undyne is lookin' for them. She'll find 'em in **_snow_** time."

Papyrus, for once, didn't chastise Sans for his puns. That's how Sans knew that Papyrus was worried. Sans glanced upward, staring at the swirling snow. He hoped that the kid was alright; a storm was coming and if they were caught in the middle of it… no. He'd find them before that. They'd have a laugh about it over Papyrus' spaghetti whilst Toriel made some of her pie.

They eventually got to Grillby's, just in time to see the bartender locking it up. His flames were subdued from the cold weather and Sans waved at him.

"Grillbz!"

Grillby turned and smiled. "Hello, Sans." He finished locking up the bar and placed the key in his pocket, shoving his glasses further up his non-existent nose. "You just missed Frisk; they left an hour ago."

"They were here?!" Toriel gasped. Grillby now looked concerned, frowning.

"Wait, you didn't know? They popped in for two mugs of cocoa and just vanished afterward. I thought they went home."

"Grillby, bud, Frisk ran away." Sans said, scratching his temple. "Did they say where they were going?"

Grillby's flames flickered briefly, as if in shock. "Ran away? Frisk? That doesn't seem like them." He then frowned. "Come to think of it, they were acting kind of strange. Oh God, Sans, what if I did something?" The bartender ran a hand through his flames, now looking worried. "I should've called you, or Toriel when they walked in alone. I'm such an idiot-"

"Grillby, it's alright." Sans said, reaching over and patting his friend on the arm. "You couldn't have known. Frisk doesn't do stuff like this."

"AND THEY HATE COCOA, SO SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG!" Papyrus said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. Sans also found that strange; Frisk didn't like chocolate, so why order hot cocoa?

"Bro, go and check with some of the people on the street. You too, Grillby. Check if they saw a kid walking around." Sans instructed. Papyrus and Grillby hurried off to obey and Toriel looked slightly sick.

"This is so… surreal…" She sniffed.

There were some muffled noises from Sans' bag and he yanked it open, Flowey looking frantic. "Lemme out! Lemme out! I know where they're going!"

Sans' sockets widened and he reached into the jar, grabbing Flowey and glowering at him. "Oh yeah? What makes you think that?"

"C-Chara liked chocolate." Flowey said quietly. "I-If Frisk is talking to C-Chara, they'll t-try to find Chara's village."

Sans frowned. "What makes you so sure?"

"Chara told me stories." Flowey said, his leaves shivering. "Of the people there. There was a man who told parents to leave their children on Ebott, to appease the monsters. He was the one who made Chara hate humanity. If Chara really is talking to Frisk, they'll want to go back to the village." Flowey's eyes widened. "C-Chara's going to use Frisk to wipe out the village!"

Sans clutched Flowey and looked at Toriel. The monster was shivering, but not from cold, from grief. She clapped her hands over her mouth, sobbing. "Oh Chara… oh no…"

"Where's Chara's village?" Sans demanded, shaking Flowey harder.

Flowey looked up sadly, his face torn.

"Right below Ebott. But you'll never find it." Flowey snarled, his petals quivering. "I'm not going back. I refuse. I can't go back!" He shook and Sans held him tighter to prevent him from leaping out of his hands. "I died there and I'm not dying again!"

"You take me there or I'll crush you to a pile of dust, you whelp!" Sans snapped, his left eye glowing a dangerous blue.

"Go ahead!" Flowey roared. "I'm sick of this jar, anyways! Kill me!"

"Asriel."

Flowey stiffened, then turned slowly to look at Toriel. The monster's fur was matted with tears and she sniffed, holding out her hand. Sans hesitated, then handed Flowey over to Toriel.

"What? I'm not Asriel! I'm Flowey the Flower, you stupid-"

"Asriel…" Toriel said, smiling a sad smile. "A mother always knows." She reached up a hand and stroked Flowey's petals. The flower quivered under her touch and shook.

"Stop…" He moaned. "Stop, stop, stop!" He roared, tears beginning to stream down his face. "Stop it!"

"Asriel… it's alright." Toriel said quietly, lifting Flowey up to her face and pressing her cheek to his. "Mommy's here."

Flowey sobbed. "Mom… stop it… it hurts… why does it hurt…?"

Sans watched, eyes dark. He had always known that Flowey was Asriel, but he hadn't suspected that Toriel knew. It was a terrible burden to bear, having your child die only for them to be reincarnated as a homicidal maniac. Toriel was crying and Flowey was moaning as if in pain.

"Asriel… please…" Toriel sniffed, holding Flowey close to her chest and hugging him tightly. "Please, sunshine… where is Frisk?"

Flowey looked up with watery, crying eyes. Then his gaze hardened. "Put me down."

Sans blinked, his eye flickering and getting ready to grab Flowey should the need arise. Toriel placed Flowey on the ground and the flower shivered in the cold. He didn't try to run away and instead squinted, looking around. He flapped his leaves once or twice before glancing up at Sans.

"Oi, smiley, put me on your head."

"What?"

"Put me. On your. Head." Flowey snarled. "Did I stutter?"

Sans shook his head, but leaned down so Flowey could scrambled onto the top his skull. It felt strange; the flower's petals were oddly soft, but firm. Sans groaned inwardly as the vines snaked down, right past his neck and spine to wrap around his legs.

"What's the deal, petals?" Sans growled, his bones rattling in discomfort.

"I can't exactly walk, you idiot." Flowey snarled. "But I have to feel the ground. And you're so annoyingly short that you're the only one who I can sit on and still be close enough to the ground."

"Did you just call me short?" Sans snarled.

"Shut up and walk, trashbag." Flowey muttered.

Sans did so, rigidly. Flowey was directing him with odd words, such as 'slightly left' or 'three steps to the right'. Toriel followed behind, her face drawn and haggard. Papyrus and Grillby soon fell into line, occasionally asking passersby if they had seen a child wandering alone in the snow. Sans glanced at Toriel, who looked older in the light of the streetlamps.

"You alright, Tori?"

Toriel nodded slowly. "I just want my children back." She said quietly. Sans hesitated, then reached out and grabbed her hand.

"And we'll get them back. I promise."

Then again…

He didn't like making promises.


	5. Chapter 5

Chara was not one to talk. Frisk found out as much when they boarded the bus that would take them to the train station. From there, they'd take the number 8 train, all the way to Mount Ebott. As Frisk sat on the old, moth-eaten bus seat with Chara right next to them, they stared out the window at the snow that was now beginning to pick up its pace.

"Oi, Frisk." Chara said, glancing over at them. "Why'd you do what you did when you got stuck up in the tree?"

At first Frisk wasn't sure what Chara was talking about. Then they remembered how, a few months ago, they'd gotten stuck up a tree, running away from a bunch of kids at school. They weren't too understanding of their new school, here monsters could attend as well as humans. So, they chased Frisk up a tree and pelted them with snowballs until they cried. Frisk didn't understand Chara's question, though.

 _ **What do you mean, Chara?**_

"You didn't fight." Chara looked confused, their red eyes flashing. "You didn't yell at them… And when Sans asked what happened to you, you said a dog chased you up the tree." Their face twisted. "Why not just kill them?"

Frisk winced. _**Kill them? For what? Bullying me?**_

"Yes, you idiot." Chara sneered, crossing their arms over their chest and glowering at Frisk, as if they'd done something wrong. "You did it before, remember? With me?"

Frisk glowered at Chara. _**That wasn't me. That was you.**_

"Oh, so I pressed the reset button?" Chara sounded spiteful. "I was the one that crushed that stupid skeleton's skull underfoot? I was the one who got bored-"

Frisk's hand shot out and knocked Chara in the shoulder. Chara slid off the bus seat, landing firmly on the floor. Frisk's face was dark and they gave Chara a cold frown.

 ** _That's enough. I'm done talking to you._**

"Why? 'Cause you can't handle the fact that you liked gaining LV? That you liked gaining so much hatred?" Chara smiled as they saw Frisk stiffen at their words. "Oh, yeah, you liked XP. I remember how you smiled in that one timeline, killing that stupid, smiley trash bag-"

Frisk clamped their hands over their ears, but the words had hit their mark. Their soul was cracked near the edges and Chara knew. They gave a small smile as Frisk began to cry, little, silent sobs that filled the empty bus. Chara stood, brushing off their clothes and sitting back down next to Frisk. They eyed the dancing, red soul that Frisk always had close to their chest, smiling again.

"Hey, I didn't mean it." Chara said, dropping the smile and wearing a mask of apology. "I'm just confused, is all. Why kill them, but not the boys who hurt you?"

Frisk sniffed, glancing at Chara before shaking their head and signing. _**Right thing to do. I'm not going to reset, and I'm not going to kill. There's always another way.**_

Chara frowned, now really confused. Then they shrugged. "Whatever. You should get some sleep. We're not going to get there anytime soon."

Frisk hesitated, then relaxed and leaned back, closing their eyes and breathing deeply. Chara watched them intently, head tilted to one side. They glanced down at Frisk's HP, which had remained at a stable 30/20 from a good night's sleep from the night before.

Chara raised a finger and tapped the bar lightly.

25/20

They smiled.

* * *

"Oi, smiley trashbag, keep that thing to yourself."

Sans cracked open one eye, glancing at Flowey. "What? It's nothing to get **_saucy_** about."

Toriel giggled from her seat and Flowey snarled, watching with disgust as Sans took another sip of ketchup. "That's disgusting. How does that even WORK? YOU DON'T HAVE A STOMACH!"

"Magic." Sans waggled his fingers at Flowey, snickering as the flower sagged in his pot. They were now sitting at the police station, of all places, since Flowey had lost track of Frisk when they reached the bus stop. Sans kicked up his slippered feet onto the coffee table in front of him, watching as some of the former Royal Guard moved around the station, some barking whilst others clunked around in heavy armor. Sans waved at Dogeressa, who waved back shyly as her husband carried both their axes, seeing as she was burdened with a small, yowling pup. Papyrus and Grillby were chatting to another monster, trying to find out more about the supposed village that Chara had gone to.

"Kill me, please…" Flowey moaned in anguish, flopping over the side of the pot. "What's taking fish fingers so long? Frisk is going to the village; we know this!"

"Yeah, but I'm sure that Chara isn't going to go quietly." Sans pointed out. " ** _Ketchup_** , Flowey."

Flowey hissed again, his leaves looking as if they were wilting. "Oh my god, Sans. Stop." He snarled. Toriel patted his head placatingly, almost in a loving manner and Flowey stopped writhing. Ever since Toriel had called him Asriel, the flower seemed more well-behaved. Sans still didn't trust him, however, and his eye was itching to light up again and grab the flower. Flowey was quiet now, glowering up at Toriel, but not telling her to stop.

"So… we literally need an army to get them back." Flowey growled in annoyance. "Are they really worth it?"

"We would've done the same for you." Toriel said quietly, throwing a look at Sans. "Isn't that right, Sans?"

Sans stopped drinking his ketchup and gave a sheepish smile. "S-sure, Flowey. We'd do the same."

Flowey didn't look convinced and threw Sans a dark look. Sans threw him an equally wilting look and rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. He was now worried about Frisk. Flowey had lost their trail by the bus stop and Sans had not been too impressed. Toriel suggested the five of them stop by Undyne's station. It was busy and uncoordinated, but Sans didn't know where else to go.

"Where is she?" Toriel asked quietly, glancing around.

As if on cue, there was a whoosh of air and all of sudden a blue spear impaled itself right next to Sans' head. He clenched his ketchup so hard it exploded all over his clothes and skull. He sat, petrified as Undyne herself stormed out of the office at the far end of the room, following a terrified human police officer.

" **GET OUT! I SAID YOU CAN'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU FIND MY BESTIE! LEAVE, YOU PUNK**!"

She hurled another spear toward the officer, who ducked at the right moment and left the spear to sail for Sans once again. He threw up a femur a split second before it hit him and could hear someone making a very pitiful wheezing noise. It took him a second to realise it was him.

"UNDYNE!" Papyrus roared from the other end of the room. "YOU NEARLY HIT SANS!"

Undyne didn't seem to hear. She lobbed another spear in the direction of the fleeing police officer and Sans had enough sense to duck. However, the spear caught the hood of his jacket and pinned him to the wall. His bones were rattling and he could see Flowey smirking at his fear.

"Undyne, please, dear." Toriel said gently, but firmly. "That's enough of that."

Undyne snorted, sweeping some red hair into a braid. The former captain of the royal guard was now the commanding officer of the police force of Newer Home. As usual, Asgore had no new names.

"Oh, hey, your majesty." Undyne said, her voice uncharacteristically sad. "Still no word… and no one's heard of this damn village. I'm sending for a car to get to Mount Ebott, but… the storm is bad."

"Uh… Undyne?" Sans said, his voice a little reedy. "Sorry to bother ya… but please… for the love of God… don't leave me **_hangin'_**."

Undyne blinked, then seemed to realise that Sans was partially impaled to the wall by her still-glowing spear. "Oh. Sure."

She recalled the spear and Sans fell onto the floor in a collapsed heap. He shakily stood up, then tossed the now-ruined ketchup bottle in the trash. Undyne shook her head and rubbed her head. "Yeah… my co-workers say I need to work on anger… but they love me." She turned very slowly to regard her office, which had frozen like deer caught in headlights. "Right?"

Silence.

"RIGHT?!"

"Y-yes captain!" a dozen of them shouted. Undyne turned to Sans with a look of pride on her face. Sans shook his head and rubbed his eyes; he was tired. It was really getting to him that they hadn't found the kid yet. It was causing his eye sockets to itch, a sure sign he wasn't going to get any sleep soon.

"Listen, Undyne, are you sure you haven't heard anything about this village?" Sans asked, almost desperately.

Undyne shook her head. "No… there was that old human village near Ebott, but Frisk can't be going there; it's completely burnt to the ground."

Sans sighed. "Alright… Thanks. I'm going to go outside… see if they might've magically popped up."

Sans swept outside, covered in ketchup and grumbling. He zipped up his hoodie to hide the mess and stepped out into the snow, which was beginning to fall even harder now that night had fallen completely. He sighed, rubbing his eye sockets and flopping down to sit on the curb. He kicked out his feet, feeling incredibly hopeless. He'd never felt hopeless in Snowdin; there was always that element of control that he had. He knew where all his _shortcuts_ took him, where he would end up. He sighed and leaned back on his elbows in the snow. Newer Home wasn't exactly home… but the kid hadn't reset yet.

That had to be a sign, right?

He had given up long ago trying to stop resets. They just happened. And he remembered that the kid had a dark side to them, too. His hands clenched as he thought of Papyrus' headless body, dissolving into dust and leaving nothing behind save for his scarf. It hurt to think about.

"Stop thinkin' like that, Sansy." He chastised himself, leaning forward and putting his hands to his temples. "You'll find 'em…"

"Who're you talkin' to?"

He jumped, turning and seeing a bundle of clothes sitting next to him. Upon closer inspection he saw it was a human child, covered from head to toe in a large jacket and scarf, leaving just their eyes bare. Sans cocked his head to one side, then glanced up and down the street. There had been no one around… so where did this kid come from?

"Uh… hi?" He said awkwardly.

"Hello." They said, their voice plainly stating they were a boy. "My name's Zhèngyì."

Sans frowned at the name. "Uh… gesundheit, kid."

Zhèngyì giggled. "You're Frisk's dad, aren't you?"

Sans stiffened before a bright blue blush crept into his cheeks. "Uh… you know Frisk?"

"Mama does. She says Frisk was raised by monsters and that I shouldn't trust 'em." Zhèngyì stood and began to balance himself on the edge of the step, imitating a tight-rope walker. "But I think she's lying. Frisk is too nice."

Sans frowned, then remembered where he'd seen the kid. He'd been dragged away by Merida, the woman who had insulted Frisk so harshly that Sans' bones rattled whenever he saw the woman's face. Zhèngyì, however, seemed nothing like his mother.

"Yeah… I'm not their dad, by the way. Just their friend."

"But they say you're their dad."

Sans felt like crawling back into his hoodie and never coming back out. "Wha-what?"

"Yeah! You're their daddy! And their mommy is the headmistress, and the fish lady is their aunty and-" The kid paused, then glanced over at Sans. "Oh… wait… they don't have a mommy and daddy, do they?"

Sans didn't quite know how to answer that one. The kid looked just as confused as he did. "But… doesn't everyone have a mommy and daddy?"

"Uh… sure, kid, but… Frisk's parents weren't… too nice." Sans finished lamely, the blush gone from his cheekbones. "Listen… has Frisk said anything? They ran away."

Zhèngyì cocked his head to one side. "Oh? But they told me they were going to find their mommy and daddy."

Sans sat up a little straighter. "Oh yeah? And? What else, kiddo?"

"Mommy saw Frisk stealing from the library." Zhèngyì said, his warm brown eyes calculating. "Would that help?"

Stealing? Frisk? That wasn't like them. Sans nodded vigorously, standing up. "Listen, kiddo, I need to talk to your mommy, that alright?"

"Mommy says I shouldn't show monsters where we live." Zhèngyì said in a small voice, burrowing deeper into his jacket. "She's scared they'll take me away."

Sans could've _screamed_ at how _ignorant_ that woman was. He scratched the side of his skull in a worried manner before a small idea came to him.

"Hey, kiddo. If I just follow you, you won't be _telling_ me where you live, now would you?"

Zhèngyì cocked his head to one side. He seemed to think for a good, long while before he shook his head. "No…"

"See? So why don't you walk home, and I'll follow you. How's that sound?"

Zhèngyì nodded his head, bouncing on his heels. "Ok!"

He turned and took off at a brisk pace down the road. Sans glanced back at the police station, then quickly trotted after Zhèngyì, who was rapidly disappearing. Sans would've liked to use his shortcuts, but he didn't know this world so well, and didn't want to risk getting the kid and he stuck in an endless void.

They walked for what seemed like a quarter of an hour before they came to a small, unattractive house, the only one across the street. Small Christmas lights hung from the roof, blinking weakly. Christmas was still a few months away, but it looks as if someone had neglected the lights all together. A pair of wooden swords lay forgotten at the base of an old oak tree, along with a cowboy hat and an empty gun. The house looked small from across the street, but Sans knew it was even smaller than he thought.

"That's mine." Zhèngyì said proudly, pointing to the pistol and hat. "Sister had one just like it!"

"Cute." Sans said, glancing at the somehow familiar hat. He couldn't remember where he'd seen it before, though.

Zhèngyì nodded excitedly, then, before Sans could grab him, dashed across the road toward his house.

Sans heard the car before he saw it.

It was screeching, slipping and sliding on the icy road. Sans' eye flickered blue as the red car came screeching around the corner, trundling toward Zhèngyì at a break-neck speed.

Sans raised his hand and grabbed the kid's soul, which glower a bright gold. Zhèngyì screamed as Sans tossed him, as high as he could, upward, right over the car. He raced toward the middle of the road as the car skid past, catching Zhèngyì as the kid came crashing down.

Sans' arms were not made to catch falling kids. His one arm, which had always been wonky since he'd broken it in his childhood, popped right off. Zhèngyì was breathing heavily and Sans knew he had used a little too much magic, a dangerous thing when he was this tired.

The driver of the car stepped out, stumbling away from their stationary vehicle. Messy brown hair, tired eyes and a cold face portrayed the face of Merida, who looked utterly thunderstruck.

"Zhèngyì…" She choked, breaking into a run toward Sans. Sans set the kid on the ground, but he was shaking so badly without his other arm that he might as well have dropped them.

"Mommy!" Zhèngyì yelled, running into her arms. The mother and child hugged ferociously, but all Sans could do was stare at his arm, lying in the snow. He sighed, leaned down and scooped it up.

"You alright, kiddo?"

"Uh-huh!" Zhèngyì said, smiling. "You threw me! That was so cool!"

"Pshaw, it's nothing." Sans said, smiling despite the shock. "It's pretty **_handy_** , huh?" he waved his dislocated arm and the child giggled.

Merida looked up, her face shocked. She had nearly run over her son. It must've been a big shock. Sans couldn't really put blame on her; the snow was obscuring the road, the ice made it so slippery you picked up more speed than usual… he was just lucky he'd grabbed the kid when he did.

"You… saved him." She choked out, her voice shaking. "W-why?"

Sans blinked at the question. "Uh… why not?"

Merida's face twisted. It was completely conflicted. Sans scratched his skull with his dislocated arm, almost sheepishly. "I was… uh… kinda hoping to talk to-"

Merida leaned down and grabbed Sans in a hug. He stiffened and made an odd noise as the woman hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder blades. He raised his arm and patted her awkwardly on the back as she cried. "Hey… it's ok…"

"Thank you… thank you…" She sobbed, her face buried in his shirt. "Oh god, my poor baby."

Sans glanced over at Zhèngyì. It was then that he realised who the child was. His eye sockets widened.

A yellow soul.

One filled with **_Justice._**

Of course Merida would hate monsters.

Asgore had stolen her child's soul.

He looked toward the house, then sighed. "Merida... we need to talk. Please."


	6. Chapter 6

Frisk and Chara were the unlikely pair, but somehow it worked. Frisk managed to sneak onto the train and hide under the seats when the ticket collector came around. Chara smiled, as if in pride as Frisk scrambled to sit on their seat, glancing around for the collector.

"This is like one of my stories." Chara said, snickering as Frisk sank down into the chair. Chara glanced out the window, which was depicting snow and a heavy storm to come. "How you doing?"

Frisk paused, then shook their head after a moment or two. **_My HP dropped for some reason. It's only on 20/20, but I could've sworn I slept._**

Chara gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it." They waved their hand flippantly. "It's probably stress…"

Frisk didn't really like the way Chara said that, but the only other option was that Chara had somehow knocked a little health from their bar… But that didn't seem to stick in Frisk's mind. Chara wanted to help them and if Frisk died, they died. Chara was a ghost in the back of their head. The storm was picking up and there was a very bitter cold in the air. As the train groaned and lurched, Frisk felt oddly tired. They rubbed their eyes and Chara noticed.

"Why don't you sleep some more? Get that HP up?"

 ** _Can't._**

Chara's red eyes seemed to flare, but Frisk didn't really noticed. "Why?"

 ** _Nightmares._**

Chara gave a smile that quickly disappeared when Frisk glanced at them. "Don't be such a baby. Dreams can't hurt you."

Frisk wasn't so sure about that. Chara looked quite complacent, tapping their fingers on their knees in a quiet beat that only they seemed to hear. The train was picking up speed now, rumbling heartedly and throwing snow up in all directions, causing a fan of it to obstruct the windows. Daylight was just beginning to break, causing the snow to take on a warm, golden light. It was very soothing, but Frisk glanced over at Chara.

 ** _Are you sad?_**

Chara blinked at the question. "Sad? Me?"

 ** _About Asriel._**

Now Chara looked slightly dumbfounded. They tilted their head to one side, then slowly to the other, as if deep in thought. "… I don't know. We knew we were going to die. It's our own fault."

Frisk glanced out the window. Then, **_What was it like to die?_**

"What does this have to do with anything?!" Chara hissed, more in surprise than anger.

Frisk shrugged. **_I just wanted to know if it hurt._**

Chara blinked slowly. The poison that had killed then had been buttercup flowers, the very same ones that Frisk had landed on when they'd fallen. It had not been a pleasant experience. But they felt as if they'd done it to free all of monster kind; they needed more souls. Chara closed their eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah… It hurt." Chara's voice was indifferent, strong. "But I had to do it. Just like you had to jump."

Frisk winced, the glanced out the window again, tears pricking their eyes. To Chara's surprise, they were crying. Chara hesitated, then with a sigh and roll of their blood-red eyes, they reached out and patted Frisk on the back. Frisk leaned on Chara's shoulder and the dead child stiffened at the contact. Chara watched as Frisk cried, their eyes shut tightly and their breath coming out of their mouth in raspy gasps.

"Stop crying you big baby-"

 _Asriel was crying again. He'd scratched his knee badly when they went to play in the buttercup patch. He was always crying. Such a big cry baby that Chara was not sure how he could ever be a king._

 _"_ _Stop crying, you big baby." Chara chided him, looking at the young princeling._

 _"_ _But Chara, it hurts!" Asriel wept, tears staining his fur. "Look at my knee!"_

 _It was cut and Chara knew it was sore, but they glowered at Asriel. "Let's go, dummy. Mom will have something for it."_

 _They passed corridors and the smell of home was close. Butterscotch and cinnamon, all rolled into one warm scent. Chara barely remembered the days when they'd felt happy. The laughter. The smiles. The complete love that the Dreemurrs felt for their adoptive child._

 _And the buttercups…_

Chara shoved Frisk away. "Get off me." They muttered sourly.

Frisk sniffled, then shuffled away. Chara glowered at them, baring their teeth in a cold sneer. "Stupid… crybaby-"

 _"_ _Chara, it hurts… I can't feel anything…"_

 _"_ _ **KILL THEM."**_

 _"_ _But why…? I can't feel anything… mommy… daddy… it hurts…"_

 _"_ _ **KILL THEM!"**_

 _"_ _N-no…"_

 _"_ _ **I'll do it myself, you stupid crybaby-"**_

 _"_ _Chara, no!"_

 ** _"_** ** _Get off me!"_**

Chara jerked out of the memory, shivering. Frisk was shivering, too. Chara lifted their hands to their face, feeling their cheeks and finding them wet with tears. What? They didn't cry. They didn't cry. It burned their cheeks and they tore at their hair, glancing at Frisk. They were sleeping. Their HP was creeping up. A sadistic smile crossed their tear-stained face.

"Stupid idiot." They snarled, bringing up Frisk's HP.

19/20.

18/20.

15/20.

* * *

Sans couldn't reattach his arm. It wasn't sticking anymore and he bumped it uselessly against his socket. Normally, it would just pop right back on, but he had also used too much magic, not mention he was tired.

Zhèngyì was sitting, bundled up in a blanket at the dining room table whilst Merida shakily made a pot of tea. Her house was very, _very_ small. There was only one bedroom, a small bathroom and the kitchen. No wonder Zhèngyì crept out during the night; it was just too small.

"Hey, mister," the kid suddenly piped up, eyes on Sans' arm. "How does that work?"

"Magic." Sans said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's pretty **_handy._** "

Merida laughed. It was nervous and fraught with shakiness, but she laughed. Sans rubbed his socket and tried to reattach his arm again. It gave a small pop and for a second he thought it had stuck, but as soon as he let it go it popped right back out. Zhèngyì watched as he stooped to grab it, grumbling under his breath.

"D'ya want some tape?" the kid asked.

Sans frowned. "Uh… it don't work like that, kid. See? I can still move it."

Sans wriggled the fingers on his detached arm and the kid laughed as Merida finally got to the table, her hands shaking so hard that the tea she had in the pot was spilling over. Sans felt embarrassed, sitting without an arm and watching as a woman who'd insulted Frisk serve him.

"Uh, thanks." He said as she handed him a cracked cup.

She nodded wordlessly, then sat down. She was terribly shaken after nearly running over her own child and Sans felt nothing but sympathy for her. He reached for the cup with his intact hand and brought it up to his mouth.

"But you don't have a stomach!"

"Well, that just means I don't get a tummy ache." Sans winked and Zhèngyì giggled shyly, burrowing in his jacket. Merida smiled, but so tiredly that Sans knew she was just doing it to be polite. He watched the human closely, drinking his tea and placing it on the table.

"Look, Merida, I'm sorry about this whole thing…" Sans said awkwardly, setting his dislocated arm on the table. "I didn't know you lost a chi-"

"It's fine." She said quietly, the small kitchen seeming even colder than it already was. "She died a while ago. It's alright…" Her voice shook, but she glanced over at Zhèngyì, who was sipping at his tea. "Baby, why don't you go and play with your toys?"

"I don't have toys anymore." He said, kicking his feet out and banging his ankles against the legs of the chair.

"Oh… yes, that's right." Merida said, blushing a deep scarlet. Sans could see her discomfort and glanced at Zhèngyì.

"Hey, kiddo, wanna help me get my arm back?"

Zhèngyì looked up, his eyes wide. "Yeah!"

"Good. I need ya to go and find one of my fingers. I think I dropped it when we came in." Sans smirked as the kid bounced in his seat. It was always a game he played with Frisk, 'Find the Finger.' He made sure they couldn't find it, though.

"Wow, really?!" Zhèngyì asked, his voice excited.

"Yeah, it moves around and OH MY GOD THERE IT GOES!"

Sans snickered with laughter as Zhèngyì squeaked and fell off his chair. He watched as his finger, detached and on the run, scuttled around the kitchen floor.

"I'll get it!" Zhèngyì squealed as Sans urged his finger to run into the bedrooms. He sniggered as the kid disappeared and turned sheepishly to Merida.

"Sorry 'bout that-"

"Am I bad person?"

Sans blinked at the question. "Uh… come again?"

Merida looked down at the teacups, broken and cracked near the edges. "I sold his toys. I insulted a child for being mute. I hate monsters…" Her eyes were sad as she glanced up, her face pale. "I hated you."

Sans glanced around, then focused on her; a sad, sad woman with a very sad house, but with a happy kid. She'd insulted Frisk, but that had been out of anger, out of pain.

God knows he'd done so much worse out of anger.

"I think you just need a cup of tea." Sans said, standing and walking around the table to the kettle. He poured some more hot water into the teapot, watching as Merida listened to the sound of Zhèngyì laughing in the other room. Sans winced as he stepped on his finger and he made it dive under the bed.

"You said Frisk ran away?"

Sans nodded his skull, rubbing his temple as he sat down. "Yes… Zhèngyì said that Frisk was taking books from the library?"

Merida nodded, sipping at her tea. "But… I don't even know why they'd do something like that. They weren't really books; more of old scrolls."

"Scrolls?"

"The school library was funded by the museum. They gave some old parchment paper that they didn't need. It was just junk, really."

"What was it?" Sans asked, leaning forward.

Merida frowned slightly, her face screwing up with concentration. "They were old maps… of Ebott."

Sans felt as if someone had just thrown him a bone. Literally. He sat up straight and stared at Merida, tapping his fingers on the table. "Do you remember what they look like? What they showed?"

Merida nodded. "I draw in my spare time; I copied them down when they first came in." She stood and moved to the corridor that led to the bedrooms. Sans waited for a while, then dug his phone out of his pocket. It was hard with just one hand, but he managed to scroll to Papyrus' number.

"Hey, Pap-

"SANS WHERE ARE YOU?!" His brother screamed from the other end of the line. Sans held the phone away from his skull for a minute or two before he brought it back to his head.

"Yeah, bro, I'm fine." Sans said idly. "Listen, I'm at this little house on Berklin Street. You know that lady that insulted Frisk? Well, she might know where they are."

"I'M ON MY WAY! DON'T MOVE!"

"Kinda hard to, with only one arm." He mumbled.

"WHAT?!"

"Bye, bro." Sans hurriedly hung up, snickering. Papyrus was known to overreact whenever Sans' arm detached. It took little over a few minutes before Merida returned with her sketchbook and the door was suddenly hailed with a series of abrupt knocks.

"SANS OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT THIS INSTANT! OH MY GOD YOU'RE SO IRRESPONSIBLE! DID YOU ARM COME OFF AGAIN?!"

Sans hit his skull against the table, groaning before making his way to the door whilst Merida looked very confused. He yanked open the door and before he could even move he was grabbed by Papyrus.

"BROTHER!" Papyrus roared, holding him at arm's length. "YOU'VE BROKEN YOUR ARM AGAIN!"

"Chill, bro." Sans said, shrugging. "I'm just **_unarmed._** "

"SANS!"

"Please, Papyrus, dear," Toriel said from behind Papyrus. "It's a little chilly out here-"

"OF COURSE, MISS ASGORE!" Papyrus said, slinging Sans over his shoulder and striding into the room. Flowey, Toriel, Undyne and Grillby all entered the small house. Merida looked slightly shocked at the sudden influx of monsters and Sans looked over at Flowey, shrugging.

"Isn't she that woman who insulted Frisk?" Flowey snarled, his mouth twisting. "Oh, I want to have a word or two with her." His face twisted into a cold sneer and bullets appeared, bouncing around his pot. "Or maybe twenty."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, petals." Sans said, grinning as his eye flared to life. "I'll mince ya."

Flowey snarled, and folded his leaves over his stem, grumbling and snarling to himself as his bullets disappeared. Sans would've liked more than anything to have the spray bottle that Frisk kept at the side of her bed. They sprayed Flowey with water whenever Flowey did something undesirable. It was hilarious to watch.

"I-is he supposed to be on fire?" Merida suddenly stuttered.

Grillby looked slightly offended and removed his glasses, polishing them on his shirt. He replaced them and glanced at Merida. "My dear lady, I _am_ fire."

"He's too **_hot_** to handle." Sans sniggered on Papyrus' shoulder.

"BROTHER I DISOWN YOU!" Papyrus snapped, placing Sans on the chair and waving his dislocated arm around. "AND YOUR ARM ISN'T STICKING! WHY IS IT NOT STICKING?"

Sans was just as puzzled as he was. His arm was not sticking and Papyrus bumped it uselessly against the socket.

"Oh, dear." Toriel said, setting Flowey on the table. "Let me look."

Undyne sniggered from behind Grillby. "You really messed up, didn't ya, skeleboy?"

Sans shrugged as Papyrus bumped the bone against the socket, nearly screaming in frustration. Grillby glanced at Sans and Papyrus, a frown on his face. "Uh… I'm pretty sure that's not supposed to… not stick?"

Merida glanced around, apparently at a loss. At that moment, however, streaked into the kitchen, dodging the monsters who had invaded his kitchen. "I got it, mister!"

He proudly held up Sans' struggling finger and Sans smiled. "Hey, great work, kiddo." He reached forward and grabbed his struggling finger, sticking it on his hand. "Look at that, good as new!"

"BUT IT'S STILL NOT STICKING!" Papyrus screamed as Toriel giggled and examined Sans' broken arm.

"Uh… sorry to b-bother, but…" Merida said, her voice shaky. "I… I know where Frisk might be going…"

The monsters all turned and stared at Merida before Toriel let out a little laugh. "Of course! Please, sit down. I'll get some tea ready."

Sans watched as Merida sat down, Zhèngyì on her lap. Grillby and Papyrus sat on the counters whilst Undyne yanked out a chair and sat, rocking on the back legs. Toriel made more tea, fished out some more cups and eventually all the monsters and humans were sitting comfortably around the table, Merida blushing.

"So, please, Merida," Toriel said, reaching across the table and clasping Merida's hand. "Where is Frisk?"

Merida swallowed, then flipped open her sketchbook. Sans stared; there were so many sketches that the page looked utterly crowded. Merida cleared her throat and glanced around the table, bouncing a very tired Zhèngyì on her lap.

"Uh… well, you know where… Ebott is." She cleared her throat. "Ebott is one of the only entry point into the Underground, where monsters were trapped. The humans that sealed the monsters underground lived in a village close enough to the mountain to watch for any wavers in the barrier. But… The seal wasn't all that effective. One monster got out, somehow, and the humans panicked. They began sending criminals to the mountain's seal, then used their souls to strengthen it." Merida swallowed. "And they… used too many. The town became abandoned; no one lived there except for some people who wanted to make sure that the seal never broke ever again. They sent a single child and they… well, they were killed by the monsters and one crossed the barrier again-"

"You're wrong."

Silence. Sans glanced over at Flowey, who had just spoken. "Uh, come again?"

The flower looked sickly; the petals were sagging and it seemed as if he was on the verge of wilting right there. He was shaking.

"The _monsters_ didn't kill them. _They_ killed _themselves_." Flowey shook. "They wanted to free everyone… but they failed. The stupid idiot _failed._ "

Sans blinked and Toriel looked as if she were going to cry. "Oh, Asriel." She sniffled, drawing the flower closer to her and hugging him tightly. "It's alright."

"I'm n-not crying, you s-silly woman." He stuttered. "I'm n-not c-crying."

Merida looked confused, but Sans shook his head slowly. She blinked several times before glancing down at her sketchbook. "Uh… That's the only village that's remotely close to Mount Ebott. I suggest we- I mean you- I mean…" She blushed deeply, her face blood-red. "The village is a ten-minute walk from Mount Ebott. But… there's nothing there. It's deserted. The other, more well-known village burned down during the war and this one was wiped from the maps after the war. It'll be hard to find, but that _must_ be where they're going. There's old magic there that not even _I_ know about."

Toriel raised a delicate eyebrow and all the monsters gave odd looks, staring at the human. Sans cocked his head to one side.

"Wait, wait, wait." He waved his hand in a time-out gesture. "You… know magic?"

Merida blushed deeply, but Zhèngyì answered for her. "Momma's the best! Momma, do your thing! The thing!"

"Hush, Zhèngyì." She said, her cheeks completely red with embarrassment. "Mommy doesn't want to-"

"Merida, can you do magic?" Undyne suddenly asked, head cocked to one side and her remaining eye wide. "I've heard only magicians can do that."

Merida swallowed. "I… I…" Her eyes welled with tears and she clutched Zhèngyì tightly to her. "Oh God… please don't tell anyone. They'll take Zhèngyì away. They'll take my other baby away…"

She sniffed and Toriel suddenly stood and embraced Merida and Zhèngyì, the woman crying. Sans stared at the odd little scene, then back to Undyne.

"How soon can you get that car?"


	7. Chapter 7

_Frisk knew something was wrong when Chara was nowhere to be seen, and they were caught in another dream. It was a horrible one, one where they were fighting Sans again. This time, however, it seemed real._

 _Sans was burning them, again and again. The gaster blasters were so strong that Frisk barely felt anything when they saved and reloaded again. It burned and they screamed as they were stuck in the Judgement Hall again. But Sans… wasn't Sans. He was enjoying it._

 _He was laughing as he impaled Frisk on the femurs and the dark pillars of the Hall. He was practically crying with laughter as Frisk was killed and finally, he didn't even wait for them to strike first. He ran straight for them and Frisk screamed as Sans chased them around the Hall, trying to flee, but not able to._

 _Was this real?_

 _This had to be. The pain was certainly real. As their blood spouted from their mouth and Sans caught them, they screamed._

 _"_ _Aw, c'mon, kiddo!" He laughed, grabbing their shoulders and shaking them so roughly their teeth bit their tongue. "You dirty, lying_ _ **BROTHER KILLER!**_ _"_

 ** _No, Sans, please! I didn't- I saved Papyrus! I saved everyone!_**

 ** _"_** ** _LIAR!"_**

 _He impaled them. Then again. Then again. As Frisk lay dying for the hundredth time, they saw another child walking through the pillars, a smiling child with auburn hair and blushing pink cheeks. They leaned down and gave Frisk a comforting smile._

 _"_ _Need help?" They asked quietly._

 _Frisk couldn't speak. It hurt too much. They nodded and coughed, the smiling child bending down and helping them to their feet. "I'll help you. I'll always help you." The child smiled and cocked their head to one side. "Let's get rid of the Smiley Trashbag. He's hurt you for long enough."_

 _They were right._

 ** _SANS HAD HURT THEM ENOUGH. Everything was HIS fault. HE DESERVED this. It was all his fault. He FORCED Frisk to this._**

 _Frisk smiled quietly as Chara helped them to their feet. They grabbed the knife. The two of them moved together and before Frisk knew it, Sans was choking. Frisk began to cry, but someone was hugging them. Comforting them. It was Chara._

 _"_ _Don't you see, Frisk? I'm your only friend. Everyone hates you. Everyone despises you."_

Frisk jerked awake, just as the train let out a long, piercing wail. Chara was next to them, watching them with a peculiar look. Frisk blinked several times, their head feeling oddly confused. They tried to stand, but their legs felt weak and their vision was swimming.

"You alright there, partner?" Chara said, cocking their head to one side. "You look awful scared-"

Frisk launched themselves at Chara and hugged tightly, shaking from weakness. Chara hugged them back, smiling. "Aw… what's wrong, buddy? Did the dream hurt ya?"

Frisk stiffened.

"Yeah… Dreams can hurt, partner. I should know. I've been trying for _months_ to get your HP this low."

Frisk tried to pull away, but Chara held them tightly, refusing to let go. Frisk couldn't move and Chara was holding them too tightly. They frantically glanced at their HP bar and their heart pounded frantically as they saw it.

0.5/20.

 ** _Chara, no-_** Frisk thought, but at that moment they weren't in control of their body anymore. They flopped uselessly to the side and Chara gave a loud, taunting laugh.

"Since when were you the one in control?" They asked, smiling widely. Frisk struggled, but their eyesight went dark and their soul broke in half completely, splitting right down the middle. It hurt, more than anything in the world and they jerked as they found themselves in a dark, empty room. It was so dark that they couldn't see anything. There was nothing around them, just endless darkness.

Chara _betrayed_ them.

The information sank in, just as the shock of it set in. The pain of it hit them fully and they looked around the room, suddenly aware they'd been there before. It was the place where they always ended up when they died. Except, there was nothing. No 'Continue', or 'Reset'. There was absolutely nothing.

"It feels so nice to have a body again." Came a whisper by their ear.

Frisk turned, but there was nothing around them. Just complete darkness. Chara was nowhere to be seen. "Oh, looking for something? Maybe _this?"_

The Reset button appeared, right in front of Frisk's face. It glowed a bright yellow, the exact same that Frisk remembered. Frisk stumbled backward, aghast at seeing it again. **_No… I promised!_**

"Oh, you did, didn't you?" Chara said, a smile in their voice. "Oh, yes, you did, didn't you? But even **_SANS_** broke his promise. He killed us, again and again until you were practically choking on your own blood. That skeleton you call your 'friend' killed us so much that you actually reset." Chara laughed, their voice loud and taunting. "And what if he broke it **_again_**?"

Frisk choked as they stood and ran, trying to get away from the button. It popped up in front of them, however, and Frisk began to cry. "Oh, you're so precious… I'll make sure to tell big Sansy how much you love him."

 ** _Don't touch him!_** Frisk screamed, their cries coming out of a mute throat. **_Don't hurt anyone, please-_**

"I'm not going to just hurt them, partner. I'm going to **_KILL_** them. I'll kill all of them, again and again until you reset, and if you don't, I'll move onto this stupid town you call home. I'll kill **_EVERYONE_**."

Frisk screamed in the darkness, but Chara was gone. They found themselves stuck, alone in the darkness with nothing but the Reset button. Frisk curled into a ball, shaking and crying. Where were they? Chara said they now had a body. Could it be…?

 ** _Where am I?!_**

Someone... or something spoke. It was garbled, not able to be heard properly.

Frisk froze. They sat up and glanced around, sniffing. There were… noises around them. Someone was speaking to them.

 ** _Who's there?_**

More noises.

 ** _I can't… I can't understand you. I can't-_**

Frisk looked around, completely afraid and alone. They sniffled, clutching their chest and realising how stupid they had been. Why had they done this? Chara had never been their friend and now everyone else was going to pay for it. They'd been so stupid. They rubbed at their eyes, but kept on crying. It hurt to think about Chara using their body to harm Sans, or Toriel, or anyone. Chara was just _using_ them.

Something cold and hard brushed against their cheek, wiping the tears away. Frisk flinched and the presence that was with them drew away ever so slightly.

Frisk looked around, still crying. **_Where are you? Why can't I see you?_**

Frisk stood, looking frantically around the room. The only thing there was the Reset button, glowing a bright, golden colour. Frisk reached out and their hands touched something slippery and cold. It felt like… a body. They flinched, but reached out further, trying to find a reasonable explanation as to _what_ was in the room with them.

A face suddenly appeared. It had an oval-shaped face and a warped smile. It was a skeleton, but it shifted so frequently that Frisk couldn't be sure. There were two hands that were out in front of it. They were hands that looked similar to Sans' own hands, save for a large hole in the middle of each of the palms.

 ** _Who are you?_**

Frisk glanced at the creature up and down. They looked at the warped face, which seemed so sad and alone. The cracked skull cocked its head to one side, the hands suddenly rising and signing.

 ** _Hello._**

Frisk blinked. **_Hello. M-My name's Frisk._**

The skeleton smiled and signed again. **_Hello, Frisk. I am Gaster._**

* * *

Undyne's van smelled of fish and chips. Sans meant that in the nicest possible way, but the car smelled stale. Papyrus was driving, whilst Undyne sat in the passenger seat. The van was large enough for Zhèngyì, Merida, Sans, Grillby and Toriel to fit comfortably in the seats. Grillby sat with Toriel, whilst Sans, Merida and Zhèngyì sat together. Sans was dropping off to sleep and Flowey, who had been put on the dashboard, was growling in annoyance.

"It's freezing!" He snarled, wriggling in his pot. "Turn on the heat, fish lips!"

"I will end you, small weed." Undyne said, baring her fangs. "I _like_ it cold. Deal with it."

"I'll strangle you with your stupid anime outfits, cod face." Flowey snarled.

"Wha- How do you know about those?!" Undyne roared, her eye flashing.

"I DIDN'T." Flowey hissed.

"Flowey!" Toriel said sternly. "Be nice."

Flowey snarled, hopping angrily in his pot. "I'm not in the _mood_! I'm starving!"

Toriel rolled her eyes. "Well… I do have a small pie that I was saving for Frisk… would you like it?"

Flowey stiffened, then glowered out the windscreen. "I don't want any of that trash." He mumbled. "Save it for Frisk."

Sans cracked a smile. "Aw, the weed has a heart." He said, yawning.

"Shut up, trashbag." Flowey snarled.

Merida glanced out the window, then back to Sans, almost bashfully. "Uh… how is your arm?"

Sans glanced at his arm, lying on the floor of the car and still not attached to his body. "Uh… still not on my body."

Zhèngyì, who was sleeping in his mother's lap, stirred a little and moaned in his sleep. Merida rubbed the top of his head soothingly, glancing at Sans. "I just want to say… I'm sorry for ever saying anything bad about Frisk… I was just frightened and I'm sure you know that humans do stupid things when they're scared. Look at what we did to your entire race; I don't think I can ever apologise for what I said to that child."

Sans glanced over at Merida, shrugging. "It's **_snow_** problem. We've all done some stupid things." He stretched, his bones cracking. "Gah… I'm stiff. I walked around a lot today; I deserve a snooze."

"SANS YOU LAZYBONES! I CARRIED YOU ALL THE WAY TO GRILLBY'S AND THEN TO THE POLICE STATION!" Papyrus said, glowering back at Sans, then returning his attention to the road.

"True… but I did lose an arm… so… I did more work than you."

Papyrus' eyes glowed and he made an odd wheezing noise. "SANS!"

"No need to get so riled up, bro." Sans chortled. "Honestly, you're the best brother in the world."

Papyrus hesitated, then smiled widely. "BUT OF COURSE! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL!"

"You got that right, bro." Sans smiled and heard Grillby sigh in the back seat.

"Sans… please reattach your arm." He sighed, rubbing his glasses. "It's really annoying."

"Aw, Grillby, don't be so-"

"Sans, if you make another pun I swear to god I will push you out of this car." Grillby growled, the flames of his head licking the top of the car. "And I will not hesitate to make sure it _hurts._ "

Sans promptly shut his mouth, but Grillby leaned over the seat and glowered down at Sans. "And when are you going to pay your tab, Sans? It's been _ten years_. Would you like to know how much it is?"

"Uh…" Sans said, feeling sweat bead his brow. "Uh…"

"MERIDA, CAN YOU MAKE BONES, TOO?" Papyrus suddenly asked, leaning back over the seat.

"Papyrus no!" Undyne screeched, leaning over and grabbing the wheel. Papyrus didn't seem to notice and stared at Merida with large eyes.

Merida blinked and even Toriel looked confused. "Uh… I don't think Merida quite knows what you're asking, Papyrus."

"I'M ASKING IF SHE CAN MAKE BONES!" Papyrus said, smiling widely. "LIKE MY BROTHER AND I! I CAN ALSO MAKE YOU BLUE!"

Merida giggled. "Uh… I don't do that…" She said, smiling softly. "I make these, though." She raised her hand and immediately a golden flame appeared in her hand, forming into a large, bullet-shaped projectile. It glowed brightly, thrumming with light and Sans audibly gulped.

"OH MY GOD!" Papyrus yelled, clapping his hands to his skull. "THAT'S AMAZING!"

"I suppose…" Merida muttered, clenching her fist and extinguishing the golden bullet as Papyrus returned to driving, Undyne panting in fear. "It's nothing… really. I just wish that I couldn't do it."

"And why is that, dear?" Toriel said, leaning over the back of the seat and looking concerned.

"Humans aren't supposed to do magic, miss Dreemurr." Merida said quietly, rubbing the top of Zhèngyì's head. "We lost that ability after the war; we were too dangerous. But I can… and I'm afraid Zhèngyì might be able to do magic as well. Humans are just too dangerous; we destroy everything we touch. We don't need love, compassion or even kindness to live, unlike monsters. Goodness knows we can live on just hatred. I know I did." She swallowed, sighing. "A human with magic… a human able to use magic whilst also being fraught with hatred… can you imagine it?"

Toriel looked deeply concerned and reached forward, clasping her hand on Merida's shoulder. "Dearie… it's alright."

Merida looked back at Toriel, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, miss Dreemurr." She said, her eyes full of tears. "I-I just… I don't want anyone to know."

"Please, call me Toriel." Toriel said, smiling. "Dreemurr was my husband's name."

Merida smiled. Sans yawned and stretched, his bones clicking. "Anyone heard from Mettaton?" He glanced around at Undyne. "Hey, what about your girlfriend?"

Undyne turned around so fast that Sans could've sworn he heard her neck crack. His eye sockets went black in fear.

"What did you say, punk?" She growled, her eye flashing a dangerous blue.

"I-uh…" Sans stuttered. "Uh-"

"Mettaton?" Merida asked, her eyes slightly wide. "The-the TV star?"

"He's one of Frisk's friends." Sans nodded, leaning down and reaching for his arm. He tried to speak, but suddenly he wasn't making words any more. He was speaking in noises.

He froze. Papyrus, who was driving, suddenly slammed the brakes, sending Flowey flying into the windscreen. Everyone slammed into the back of the seats and Sans had an odd sensation in the back of his left eye, which prickled.

"SANS!"

His eye was glowing. He unlocked the car door and stumbled out, clasping a hand over the glowing eye. "NO. NO. HE'S NOT REAL. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?"

"SANS!" Papyrus screamed, stumbling out after him. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Sans stared in horror at Papyrus, both of his eyes glowing bright orange. Papyrus looked flabbergasted at the noises that had just come out of his mouth, but Sans was more concerned with the burning in his eye. It hurt and he felt as if every bone he owned was being pricked with needles. He tried to put out his eye, but it refused.

"Sans! Papyrus!"

Sans stared at Papyrus, who clapped both hands over his mouth in shock. Papyrus reached forward and grabbed Sans by the shoulders, yanking him close and hugging him tightly. "He can't be real." Sans chanted as his eyesight flickered.

 _"_ _Ah, did you break your arm, my child?" A warm, comforting presence picked Sans up and shushed his cries. "Do not worry, I will fix it."_

"SANS…" Papyrus said, hugging him tightly. "IT'S… ALRIGHT. WHAT HAPPENED? STOP CRYING, BROTHER, PLEASE."

Crying? Sans sniffed and realised that he was crying. He shivered and shook as his detached arm, which was still on the floor of the car, twitched. Sans buried his face in Papyrus' shoulder, crying.

"He's real." Sans chuckled quietly. He glanced at the car, then hurriedly stood, wiping the tears from his cheekbones. "We need to drive fast. Like _now._ "

"BUT SANS-"

"We gotta go, Paps." Sans said, stuffing his remaining hand in his pocket. "The kid's going to be fine; I have a feeling they've got some help."


	8. Chapter 8

**_How did you come here? Where is here?_**

 ** _I fell into my creation, child. I wanted to free everyone._** Gaster signed, his hands moving quite expertly. He glanced around, almost quizzically. **_Ironically… it appears that I am even more trapped than they ever were._**

Frisk reached out hesitantly and took Gaster's hand, squeezing the bones tightly in a comforting manner. Gaster squeezed back, heaving a sigh. His body, a tall, thin spire of black, seemed to expand as he shook his head. His hand was cold and clammy, but Frisk glanced at the Reset button. It was the only source of light in the dark. Frisk looked around, aware that Chara had stepped off the train. They were now somewhere… cold.

Frisk felt sick.

 ** _I wish I could see what they're doing._** Frisk wrung their hands before glowering at the Reset button. **_And I wish this thing would just… disappear._**

 ** _I cannot remove the button, child, but… we could escape using your determination._** Gaster held up his hands to Frisk's face and signed very slowly so they caught the words. **_It will be dangerous… You will be using your memories, your hopes and dreams to disappear outside of this world. Using your determination… I think we could… escape._**

Frisk looked up at Gaster, wary. They barely knew him, yet they felt as if they had always had him nearby. He'd always been watching from the shadows. There was no word for old friends who had just met, but that was what Frisk would imagine this meeting would be called.

 ** _Using my determination?_** They signed.

 ** _Yes. I will escape with you, if you wish, but that will drain your energy significantly. We will be mere spectres, but able to harm and able to feel harm._**

Frisk glowered at the reset button. They had to stop Chara. There were no 'if's' or 'buts'. They looked at Gaster and called up what was left of their determination. Their soul, which was being used by Chara, was no longer there, but a soft red glow appeared. A small sphere of red appeared in front of the two of them and Frisk looked up into Gaster's eyes.

 ** _I know your sons._** Frisk said, looking down at what was left of their determination. **_They're kind. They're my family. They mean the world to me._**

Gaster let out a small sniffle that could've been a sob and he drew back ever so slightly. **_Child… Knowing they are happy is enough for me. Leave. Do not come back._**

 ** _I'm not leaving you behind._**

Gaster looked thunderstruck, then his face hardened. **_Child, you will die in that form. Better that you use all of that determination and leave this wretched place, before Chara destroys everything._**

Frisk smiled sadly, coughing. **_I have done many bad things, Gaster. I killed everyone in one timeline, including your sons who I would give the world for. I still wake up screaming._** Their eyes closed and they heaved a deep breath. **_Though… I know this is not the wrong thing to do. Chara might have my soul, but I know what I want. I want Sans to never have to worry about a reset again. I want Papyrus to make more of his spaghetti. I just want them to be happy. And…_** Frisk took the determination in their two hands and tore it in half. It hurt, like yanking a thorn out of a wound, but they held the halves in their hand. **_And I think… no. I know this is the right thing to do. I know they will be happy with you. Happier than I could ever make them._**

 ** _Child… don't-_**

Frisk pushed the half of their determination to Gaster, who gasped as it hit his form.

Frisk closed their eyes and felt Gaster hold their hand. There was a tugging sensation in the bottom of their stomach and suddenly, they were blinking in the sunlight. They rubbed their eyes and glanced around, happy to be out of the darkness. The Reset button, however, was still next to them. Gaster was beside them and Frisk blinked. Gaster was no longer a formless blob in darkness, he was a tall skeleton with a dark black coat and a grey turtleneck under it. His face was no longer warped and horrendous, but clean and with no cracks, save for two that ran from his eye sockets.

Floating above Gaster were two bluish hands with holes in their palms, which signed for him. He looked down at Frisk, then glanced around, evidently noting their location. **_Child… why? You're so weak-_**

 ** _You look so tall._** Frisk smiled and Gaster paused before giving a smile of his own. He was happy.

 ** _We should look for Chara._** He said, striding forward and holding out his hand. The holes in his palms were still there, but he looked happier. Frisk grabbed his hand, trotting after him. They felt like a ghost, with no shape or form and they even passed through a fence. Gaster was looking around, two pinpricks of purplish light in the middle of his sockets making him look more like a skeleton than a formless mass.

 ** _Where are we?_** Frisk asked, looking around. Tall trees towered over them and they were walking through a snow-ridden forest. At first, Frisk thought that they were underground again, walking toward Snowdin, but there were clouds above them, not a cavern ceiling. They felt sick, as if they were coming down with a flu.

 ** _Near Mount Ebott. A few miles north, perhaps._** Gaster signed, his floating hands signing frantically. **_Chara felt a powerful emotion here last, but now they are gone. We shall have to look for them._**

 ** _How are we doing this?_** Frisk asked, confused.

 ** _How do birds fly?_** Gaster signed, smirking. **_I cannot explain such things. I can only do them. Using your determination, I can project our ethereal bodies outside of the void. That is all I know. Your determination is strong, child._**

Frisk, despite not actually being there, felt freezing. They shivered and sneezed. Gaster glanced at them before stopping. **_Here. Take my coat. It's not much, but… I can't stand to see a child without a jacket._**

Frisk shivered violently as Gaster removed his enormous black lab coat and placed it around Frisk's shoulders. It dragged in the snow and Gaster looked quite thin without it, but Frisk was still completely cold. They had a feeling they were getting sick. Gaster guided them through the trees, the dark woods seeming even more foreboding as they forced their way through the snow. The trees were dead and Frisk felt round about the same; cold, stiff and on the brink of falling over.

 ** _Stay determined, child._** Gaster said, guiding Frisk through the woods. **_We're almost there._**

 ** _Gaster, it's very cold._** Frisk said, their teeth chattering. Oddly, their legs felt tired. Gaster, without much hesitation, stooped down and hauled Frisk up, carrying them like a baby.

 ** _I shall get us there quickly, but be warned- you might feel sick._**

 ** _Just hurry._**

There was a sound like thunder and Frisk nearly threw up as Gaster teleported a few feet. Then a few more. He teleported through the woods, narrowly avoiding trees and rushing through the snow. Gaster was right; Frisk felt sick. After what seemed like a million teleports, Frisk's head was spinning and they felt as if they were going to fall apart before Gaster finally stopped, standing stock-still.

 ** _We are here, child._**

Frisk shivered and Gaster hugged them tightly as they glanced around. They were in what seemed to be an empty clearing, but upon closer inspection, it was a town square. There were old buildings that looked as if they hadn't been inhabited in a long time. The sun was beginning to peek through the clouds and from the landscape, they were on a hillside village. The hill sloped dangerously and Gaster looked around, clutching Frisk tightly to his chest.

The sun was cold and Frisk shivered, their eyes barely open at this point. Something glinted in the sun.

 ** _Where could they-_**

"G-GASTER!" Frisk screamed.

Gaster moved out of the way just as a large knife swiped downward, impaling itself in a tree as Chara tried to drive it into Gaster's back. Gaster teleported a few feet back to safety as Chara turned, very slowly to regard the two of them.

Frisk gasped. It was their body, but Chara was now inside it. There was a cruel smile twisting the corners of the mouth and their eyes, which were normally warm and shy, were now completely red and wide open.

"Hello, Gaster." Chara said, their voice light and carefree. "I see you brought the trash with you." Chara giggled. "Oh, I thought you'd use their soul to come this far. Too bad it's _mine_ now." Chara played with the knife, smiling. "I was counting on you coming here; I need a bit of practice."

Gaster glowered dangerous at Chara, his eyes flashing purple just like Sans' would when he fought. **_Give the child their body back. You cannot stay in there forever._**

"I don't know…" Chara said, swinging the knife in a childlike manner. Frisk felt their heart stop as they saw it was the very knife that they had used to kill Sans. They didn't know how Chara had gotten it, but there it was, flashing as the sun began to creep up in the distance. "I quite like it. And if I do leave…" Their red eyes flashed. "Then _they_ die."

Frisk sniffed, then sneezed. Chara's nose twitched and they gave a very cold smile. "Look; they're already so sick. And their low HP would just quicken the process. Their thoughts, their memories, all of that is now there, outside of their body. Any longer outside and they'll eventually just-" Chara trailed off, smiling. "Let's just say it would be kinder for them to Reset."

Gaster glanced at Frisk, then resolutely at Chara. **_Give them back their body, demon._**

"Make me, you pile of **_shit._** " Chara laughed, their head thrown back and laughs wracking their body. "You can't even form yourself properly, you bag of bones. You're even worse than your sons! They made lovely little dust bunnies once I was finished with them."

Gaster's eyes flashed and he wavered. His form shivered with anger and his face turned grotesque.

 ** _Chara, please._** Frisk signed weakly. **_Don't do this._**

Chara threw back their head and laughed. "Oh, this is rich! You think that you can just waltz off into the sunset because you're above the consequences? Who killed all those monsters? Not me, partner. I merely helped you along when you chose that path." Chara snickered as if something were immensely funny. "And Gaster… do you want to know how your son is doing? Poor, little Sans?"

Gaster stiffened and Frisk looked up at him in fear. His eyes were on fire now, burning with purple flames. **_What did you do to my son?_**

"Nothing… yet." Chara laughed, swinging the knife casually back and forth. "But they're coming for _that._ " Chara gestured to Frisk with a twisted grimace on their face. "They want to save it. And I'll be here with open arms, ready to receive our guests. I'm so done with this world; if they don't reset, I'll move onto the town. Then back to the Underground to kill the remaining monster. Then I'll kill until my LV is so high, I'll be a _God._ I'll start with those two skeletons you call your sons; it'll be so touching and poetic for their father to see their last moments."

 ** _Don't touch my sons._** Gaster signed, lowering Frisk onto the snow and propping them up against a pillar. **_I might not be able to kill you… but I can hurt you. Badly. I'm not opposed to hurting children._**

Chara smiled, then glanced at Frisk. "Just like old times, right partner?" Chara looked at Gaster, smiling. "Too bad you had to bring them, Gaster. We could've had so much fun; just the two of us."

Frisk tried to stand, but fell back down almost immediately. They were simply too weak. Gaster stepped in front of them, his hands outstretched and glowing purple. **_Don't you know it's rude to talk about someone who's listening?_**

"They won't be listening for much longer." Chara said, smiling and winking a red eye.

Gaster ducked out of the way just as Chara sliced downward with their knife, charging toward him. He retaliated by dodging and teleporting a few feet away, his face becoming warped and grotesque.

"Do you want me to kill him too, Frisk?!" Chara yelled, laughing. "Just Reset! I'll kill them all before you finally crack!"

 ** _You talk too much._**

Gaster summoned femurs that burst from the ground and he ran on top of them, making his way closer to Chara but getting the higher ground. Chara laughed and dodged the rising femurs, which glowed a dangerous purple as if they were about to explode. "Really, old man? I've got tricks up my sleeves, too!"

Chara swiped the knife across in an arc and the femurs all snapped. Gaster didn't fall, but teleported closer to Chara. Frisk watched in fear, struggling to get up. Gaster raised his hand, a smile on his face. A gaster blaster appeared, but this one was larger than Sans' and had sharp, impossibly large teeth. It glowed purple and opened its maw wide, firing a purple blast at Chara.

"Isn't this familiar?" Chara mused, stepping to one side as the blast wrought its destruction on the snow. "You're just as pathetic as your son!"

Gaster redirected the blast toward Chara as Frisk threw off his coat and struggled to their feet. They would not allow Chara to harm another person. They stumbled forward, but something grasped them firmly and yanked them backward. Gaster was now behind them, having teleported.

 ** _No, child, leave this to m-_**

Chara was quick. They were on Gaster in seconds and Gaster turned his back to them so that the blow landed on his back instead of Frisk. He let out a gasp as the knife sliced right through his clothes and hit his bones.

"Gaster!" Frisk screamed.

Gaster teleported a few feet away, coughing up purplish gunk that looked suspiciously like blood. Frisk felt sicker than ever and they grabbed onto Gaster's grey turtleneck, which was now soaked with purple blood. They glanced up at Gaster's HP and, to their surprise, they found a series of recurring 6's.

 ** _Do not worry about me, child._** Gaster said, dodging another attack from Chara. **_They cannot kill me; I have survived in the void for years!_**

Chara was laughing behind them and Gaster was teleporting further into the town. The remains of buildings were covered in snow and the sun was now shining fully. Gaster rushed forward, stumbling in his next teleport and sending Frisk flying. Frisk landed on a pile of snow, coughing weakly as Gaster landed next to them.

 ** _Child-_**

"And now… I'll kill the both of you. Then those two failures of yours."

Gaster's face warped and he spun around, summoning another gaster blaster and aiming the blast at Chara, who nimbly dodged the massive explosion and laughed. "Not even close, partner." Chara's eyes flashed as they swung the sword.

 ** _Oh?_** Gaster asked, grabbing Frisk by the shoulders and getting to his feet. **_Have fun, child._**

Chara's smile faded and they spun around just in time for one of the ruined buildings to collapse on top of them. Frisk screamed in pain and clutched their stomach, feeling as if a whole ton of bricks had just crushed them. Gaster darted away and fell backward, panting heavily with purple blood dribbling from his mouth.

 ** _Gaster, it hurts-_** Frisk signed, their breathing becoming rapid. Gaster's face was suddenly wrought with shock.

 ** _Child, stay strong._**

 ** _But Gaster it hurts so much- don't hurt them._**

Gaster nodded and lifted Frisk up, cradling them tightly as Chara struggled out of the rubble, clutching their side. They glanced up, a cut running across their eye. "Oh, would you look at that… you broke my rib." Chara smiled. "Or should I rather say… you broke _their rib_." Chara lifted their hand and slammed it into their side. Frisk was nearly blinded from the pain and Gaster looked down at them in horror.

 ** _Stop it! Stop harming the child!_**

"Who broke their rib? Certainly not me. You were the one who fired the blast. You were the one who nearly killed them." Chara smiled. "Let's play a game, little man; how many times can you get hit without snapping and killing me?" Chara laughed. "Not many, I think. **_YOUR SONS ONLY LASTED SO LONG AFTER ALL!"_**

Gaster blocked Frisk from the next blow, sending him to his knees. He teleported away, stumbling over his own feet and weakly summoning a gaster blaster and blocking the next blow from Chara with it. The massive skull cracked under the pressure and Gaster coughed up more blood.

"You can only dodge for so long; when Frisk dies, it'll all reset anyways!"

 ** _They aren't going to die!_** Gaster jumped back, sheltering Frisk from a shower of bone shards as Chara destroyed the blaster. Gaster winced as if it were a blow to him and he coughed more blood.

"Give up!"

The next blow sent Gaster crashing to the ground, shaking in pain. Chara laughed hysterically. Frisk weakly looked up at Gaster, who was shaking.

 ** _Gaster… move out of the way._** They signed, their hands shaking.

 ** _I did not emerge from the void just to let you die. I WILL see my sons again!_** Gaster gave a pained smile and Chara sliced the knife down, sending it right into his ribcage.

"Oh… that must hurt." Chara said idly, smiling. "I'm so terribly sorry. Let me make it more comfortable for you."

They withdrew the knife and Gaster shielded Frisk again as the knife came sailing down, this time landing right in his shoulder blade. The arm went limp and Gaster fell next to Frisk, face twisted in pain.

"Oh dear… that looked quite painful. You should get that looked at." Chara laughed so hard that Frisk's vision was blurred with the pain. Chara reached down and grabbed Frisk by the collar of Gaster's cloak. They lifted Frisk's face to theirs, smiling widely. "What you say, partner? Should I give Doctor Gaster another hole in his face? Or will you reset and stop all this unnecessary pain you're making him go through?"

 ** _Don't listen to him, child!_** Gaster reached for them, but Chara raised a foot and slammed it upon Gaster's hand. It cracked under the force and Gaster hissed in pain.

"I'll cut him across the neck, just like Pappy." Chara drew the knife delicately across Gaster's neck and the skeleton stiffened. "Then across the chest… just like Sansy." The knife trailed down to his ribcage, which was showing through the remains of his grey turtleneck. "But you could just reset, partner. Before I kill him, too."

 ** _Don't listen to them, child._** Gaster gasped, arching his spine as Chara dug the tip of the blade into one of his ribs. **_They can't- they can't kill me-_**

"That much is true, old friend." Chara mused, letting Frisk go and standing up straight. They raised the blade, which glinted in the sun. "But I _can_ send you back to the void, where you belong!"

They brought knife down.

Chara suddenly screamed as a golden bullet sailed out of nowhere and caught the knife, sending it flying. Chara spun around, snarling in anger. "What the-"

Sans, Undyne, Toriel, Flowey and Papyrus were all standing together near a decimated house, magic spiralling around them. Grillby even had his sleeves rolled up whilst a human woman with stringy brown hair stood in front of them, her hand outstretched and an angry expression on her face.

"Step away from the skeleton and the child." She said coldly, yellow magic sparking from her fingertips.

Chara looked flabbergasted and Gaster took that opportunity to grab Frisk and teleport away, landing at the feet of the monsters. Sans looked shocked as Gaster glanced weakly up at him, smiling.

 ** _H-hello, son._** Gaster said weakly.

"D-dad?" Sans choked. His eyes landed on Frisk's flickering form, then he focused his eyes on Chara, who was smiling coldly. Chara held out their hand and their knife reappeared, causing them to smile even wider.

"Hello, comedian." Chara said, giggling like a naughty child. "Oh, this is familiar… save that your brother is now alive to see this. I wonder how he'll react to seeing you die? Oh, and hello, everybody." Chara waved enthusiastically and Undyne stepped forward.

"Oh, you're so dead, you little _punk_!" Undyen growled, summoning a spear.

"YEAH!" Papyrus said, holding up his hands and summoning blue femurs. "WHAT SHE SAID!"

Toriel and Flowey, however, were struck with what looked like shock. Toriel reached forward, her eyes shining with tears. "Ch-Chara?"

Chara smiled. "Hello, **_mommy._** And hello, Asriel. You're looking a little pale; you eating enough fertiliser?"

Flowey's face twisted. "Chara, get out of Frisk's body. You don't have to do this."

Frisk looked up weakly and they snarled in anger. Chara was _not_ going to hurt their family. Never.

They were filled with DETERMINATION.

Chara stumbled back as if something had struck them across the face. They stared at Frisk in shock and Frisk gave a pained smile. They felt more determined they ever had and Chara shook in their body. "What are you doing, you idiot?" Chara snarled, the knife shaking. "Stop that!"

Frisk smiled. Chara was _not_ going to harm their family.

Chara stumbled back. "Stop it!"

Chara was going to leave and never come back. Chara screamed and clutched their side, squeezing the broken ribs to try and deter Frisk, but Frisk was not going to give up. There was a loud crack and their soul burst from their body, Chara struggling to catch it. "No! Give it back!"

 ** _You're done, Chara._** Frisk said as their soul sailed toward them. Frisk reached out and their soul reconnected. It was as if all the pain disappeared and Frisk felt more connected to the world than they had been. They were suddenly standing in front of everyone whilst Chara stumbled back in their fake body.

"Kid?!" Sans exclaimed.

Frisk glanced back, smiling shyly. **_S-sorry, Sans._**

"You're dead!" Chara screamed. "You're all dead! Especially you, Asriel! How could you do this to me?!"

Flowey snarled. "It's over, Chara. Frisk has their soul back and you're hurt. It's done."

Chara laughed. "Oh, really?!" They spread their arms widely, their face shifting back to the cruel smile they had always worn. "Asriel, you forget something…"

Chara's body shook and Frisk was grabbed by Sans, who jumped back as a large knife suddenly appeared out of the ground, spearing the air and nearly impaling Frisk.

"I ALWAYS WIN!"


	9. Chapter 9

Sans had never been so happy to have Frisk in his arms, but seeing _Gaster?_

This day couldn't really get any weirder.

Toriel lobbed a large amount of fire at Chara, who laughed manically and glitched to the left, avoiding it. Flowey was out of his pot and he glowered back at Sans in anger. "GET THAT IDIOT OUT OF HERE!" He pointed to Frisk, whom Sans was still holding in his arms.

 ** _Sans, no!_** Frisk said, clutching his jacket. Merida, who'd wisely left Zhèngyì in the car, dove to one side and fired a hail of golden bullets toward the demon child. Chara laughed even harder, as if certain death were a mere joke and summoned knives, which glinted blood-red in the sun. "Oh, you're bringing other humans into this? I remember your child; what was her name? Oh yes. Sarah, wasn't it? I remember her crying for her mommy when she died!"

Chara lobbed the knives at Merida, who had frozen in shock. Undyne, who was the fastest of the lot, dove forward and slammed into Merida, saving her from the attack. Grillby appeared right next to them, his sleeves rolled up and his flames roaring. He raised his hands and fire streamed out of his palms, right toward Chara.

"SANS, PROTECT THE HUMAN!" Papyrus said, leaning down and helping Gaster to his feet. "I SHALL PROTECT THIS PERSON."

"Papyrus, that's our dad!" Sans called, dodging a knife and levitating as Chara tried to harm Frisk. Papyrus looked up, his face shocked.

"THIS OUR DAD? HE'S SMALLER THAN I THOUGHT!"

"Papyrus, get him out of here!" Sans yelled as Undyne scrambled to yank Merida out of the way. Papyrus picked up Gaster and disappeared, sprinting off toward the car. Gaster's wounds left large puddles of blood as Papyrus carried him away.

Sans watched with a clenched heart as Gaster disappeared once more from his life… but hopefully not forever, this time. He returned his attention to the battle, his eye flaring in anger as he clutched Frisk to his chest. Flowey disappeared underground before reappearing right below Chara. His vines shot up from the ground and snapped toward Chara, the vines grabbing onto their legs. Chara laughed and sliced the vines with a knife before trying to impale Flowey.

"Don't touch my son!" Toriel screamed, lobbing fire toward Chara. Chara dodged, their body disappearing and reappearing to avoid the fire.

"Wasn't I your child as well?" Chara screamed, summoning more knives and snapping them toward Toriel. "Funny how that changes, huh, mom?!"

Frisk clutched Sans as he threw the gaster blasters up and caused them to fire, forcing Chara to retreat. Chara laughed as Undyne summoned spears and lobbed them toward the rapidly teleporting spectre.

"Undyne the Undying." Chara chanted, their voice mocking. "So strong and true, brave of heart. Too bad when the Underground needed her the most, she fell APART!" Chara summoned a multitude of knives, all of which gleamed a bloody red. Undyne dove to one side and Merida dove to defend her. The woman was strong and her magic was even stronger. She lobbed bullets toward Chara, the golden projectiles following them as they teleported.

"Don't touch my friends you stupid child!" She roared, summoning several more bullets and showering Chara with them. Chara dodged and giggled as if they had merely heard the punchline to a stupid joke. "You're just a spoilt brat! Don't touch any of my friends!"

"Friends?" Chara asked, cocking their head to one side and deflecting a bullet without glancing at it. "You should ask yourself this question, Merida. Who killed your little girl? She just wanted to find a bed of golden flowers for her mommy, and ended up dead at the hands of a tyrant king."

Merida's attack faltered and that was all Chara needed. They laughed as they teleported closer, right in front of Merida's face. Merida gasped and backpedalled, but Chara grabbed her shirt.

"Sans!" Toriel screamed, trying to lob more fireballs. "Get Merida!"

Frisk was placed near a tree as Sans streaked toward Merida, his eye flashing. Merida was choking as Chara lifted her up by the throat. Sans summoned a femur and lobbed it at Chara, who merely vaulted a few feet above it, laughing hysterically as they left Merida behind.

There was the sound of an impact, one that Frisk knew too well. It was the sound of a femur hitting a human soul.

Merida choked. Her HP, which had never shown before, now flickered to life.

0.5/5

"MERIDA!" Toriel screamed, summoning more fire and throwing it at Chara. Chara laughed maniacally as Merida keeled to the side, Sans frozen in horror at his mistake. Chara noticed his shock and smiled. "Oh, this isn't new to you, comedian. Remember how you pinned Frisk to the pillar in that hall of judgment? Don't make me laugh! You _loved it!_ Breaking your promise again and again, watching as they died and came back to fight you. It gave you some sick pleasure, didn't it?!"

Chara sent a knife hurtling in his direction and Frisk jumped in front of him. The knife collided with their arm, their HP sinking to 16/20. Sans grabbed them and leapt out of the way as Chara continued their attack. Papyrus and Gaster had disappeared from the battle, but Undyne was still putting up a fight. Grillby was aiding Toriel, but their flames could only do so much against Chara, who dodged the slow attacks in a lazy fashion.

"Sans, get Frisk out of here!" Toriel screamed as Sans dodged another attack from Chara.

 ** _No, Sans!_** Frisk insisted. **_We must get rid of them!_**

"Kiddo, I don't know if you noticed, but Chara isn't even a human soul anymore. They're just a vessel of hate." Sans growled, his eyes glowering in the morning sun. "Whatever you're thinking of, it won't work."

Frisk choked out a sob, but Flowey suddenly appeared, having been absent from the battle after Chara cut his vines. He looked beaten up and his health was lower than normal, but he was full of anger and Frisk could see it.

"Get the kid outta here!" Flowey snarled. "Didn't you hear Toriel, you smiley trashbag?! Get 'em out!"

"Oi, petals, watch out!"

Sans grabbed Flowey in a blue attack and heaved him out of the ground, just as three knives landed in the spot where he'd been sitting. Sans placed Flowey next to him, sending another gaster blaster toward Chara.

"You're so _weak,_ Asriel." Chara sneared, their voice getting more distorted. "What happened to best friends forever? What happened to our dreams?! Whatever happened to **_REVENGE_**?"

Flowey looked pained as he deflected knives from Chara's next attack. Chara was not being lenient. Every knife was getting more and more dangerous and with Merida lying motionless on the battlefield, the others had to be more careful where they lobbed their attacks.

"That was your dream, Chara, not mine! I didn't want to kill the humans!"

"LIAR!"

Flowey screamed, his bullets sailing toward Chara. Sans took the opportunity and teleported toward Merida. The woman wasn't breathing. Blood was pooling around her and her soul, a bright gold above her head, was beating weakly.

"Zhèngyì… Sarah… my babies…" She whispered as Sans grabbed her tightly. Frisk pushed themselves away and Sans looked at them in shock.

"Kiddo, what're you-"

 ** _Teleport her to the car. Get her to safety._**

"Kid-"

 ** _Go, Sans!_** Frisk shoved his shoulder hard enough for Sans to stare at them in shock. "Kid-"

 ** _I have to do this by myself. The only way._** Frisk smiled. **_I'm sorry._**

Frisk stepped away and Sans looked at them with a horrified, shocked expression, his eye sockets no longer pricked with light. "Kid… I… I-"

 ** _I know._**

Sans and Merida disappeared.

Frisk stood and stared at Chara, who was now lobbing some more knives at Flowey. Frisk glanced up, looking at their soul. It was stronger than ever, filled with determination and hope. They reached up and clasped it gently, bringing it to eye-level.

They glanced at Flowey. There he was, now fighting to protect them. Once upon a time, a child had fallen into the Underground, intending to kill themselves. Instead, they found a new family. One that just couldn't be replaced. And now Flowey, out of all things, was fighting for them. He'd been the first one to greet Frisk in the Underground, the first one to draw their soul into a battle. He'd also only been a child when he'd died.

Frisk clenched their soul in their hand and glanced up at Chara. **_Chara. Look._**

Chara snapped their attention to Frisk, smiling. "Finally gonna reset, partner? I knew you'd come around-"

 ** _It's your best friend._**

Frisk cracked their soul in half and, with hesitation, sent it to Flowey. The flower looked shocked as it collided with his body, which suddenly began to glow a harsh, bright white.

 ** _Asriel Dreemurr_**

* * *

Sans had never seen so much blood. Gaster… his father, was propped up against the back of a decimated bench whilst Papyrus attended to him. Merida was still in his arms and without warning, his other arm snapped off again from the weight.

"Son of a-"

 ** _Language._**

Sans glanced up at Gaster, who was smiling oddly. He was looking at Papyrus with some sort of quiet fascination and he coughed up some more blood. Sans winced at the watery sound and Papyrus looked up at him, his face very serious for once.

"SANS… IS HE REALLY OUR DAD?" He asked quietly.

Gaster looked up, wincing in pain as Sans placed Merida on the bench next to him. The woman was breathing harshly and Sans had never felt so terrible in his life. The femur was gone, but there was a lot of blood. Her HP had dipped even lower, stooping to a very troubling 0.05. Sans dug around in his pockets, searching for food. When he found none, he reattached his arm and glanced at Papyrus.

"Damnit, I left the monster candy back in the car."

Merida looked up, a soft smile on her face. "Monster… candy?" She whispered, almost childishly. "Sarah… she would've liked some." She coughed and Gaster, who was in immense pain, reached over and clasped her hand.

 ** _Are you in pain?_** He asked, his breathing shallow as Papyrus drew back. Papyrus looked at Sans with a very sad, very confused expression.

"SANS… IF HE'S OUR FATHER… THEN WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER HIM?"

"It's a long story, pappy." Sans said, sighing. "Listen… could you go back to the car and get the candy? Her HP is really low."

Papyrus paused, then looked frightfully at Gaster. "ARE YOU GOING TO BE OK?"

Gaster laughed quietly. **_Yes, my child. I will be fine. Go and get the food. She's fading quickly._**

But Gaster was _not_ fine. Sans had never seen so much blood come out of a skeleton, and that was including the time he'd been stabbed by Chara. There was simply too much. Sans knelt in front of Merida, huffing as he tried to staunch the bleeding.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He muttered, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. It was all too familiar. He shook as he pressed his hands to the wound going through her stomach. "Oh god… I'm so sorry-"

"Shh…" She said, raising a hand and placing it on his arm. "You didn't mean to… I understand…"

Sans blinked. He'd been ready to _kill_ this woman a few days ago, ready to impale her. And now he had. He concentrated, trying to force some healing magic out of him. "I- I've never been good at healing, but I'll try-" He sniffed, wiping away some of the tears with his hand. It left a red smear on his cheekbone.

"M-mommy?"

He froze. Sans turned quickly and saw the child standing stock-still in the snow, Papyrus behind him. He'd obviously tried to stop Zhèngyì from seeing his mother, bloodied and bruised, but there he was, standing in the snow.

"Kid-"

"What did you do to her?!" The child screamed, running to his mother. Sans moved out of the way as Zhèngyì threw himself into her arms. Merida smiled and hugged him back, tightly.

"Hello, sweetie."

"Mo-mommy!" He cried, looking up with terrified eyes. "What happened?!"

"Mommy had an accident, baby." She said softly. Gaster, who was beside her, squeezed her hand even tighter.

"Did the monster do this to you?!" Zhèngyì cried, his face fraught with anger and tears. Sans waited. All she had to do was point and he could shoulder the blame fully. The child deserved to know.

But Merida shook her head.

"No, baby. Mommy did this to herself. It's alright, baby. Mommy's going to be fine…" She trailed off, as if realising the lie in her words. Her HP was already at 0.005. Sans knew that after that, Merida's soul would break in half. And her child would be there to see it.

No amount of monster candy would help.

"Don't lie, mommy." Zhèngyì cried, his face twisted. "Mommy, please… don't leave. Don't leave like Sarah! Please! Who's going to cut my sandwiches? Who- who's going to tuck me in? Who- who? You can't go! I won't let you."

"Kid…" Sans said quietly, placing his hand on Zhèngyì's shoulder. He turned to Sans before grabbing his jacket and shaking him so his bones rattled.

"You can fix her! You can fix her, right? You- you can do magic! You can- you can fix her like you fixed your arm! Look!" He grabbed Sans' arm, which had been broken so often it just rattled. "You fixed your arm! Can't you fix my mom?!"

"Kiddo-" Sans said, his spine prickling. "Kiddo, I- I can't. Human souls aren't like ours… see?" He held out his hand and brought out his soul, an upside heart pure white and beating. "See, kiddo? We're too different. We can't… I can't help-"

"I hate you!" Zhèngyì screamed, pounding on Sans's ribcage. It hurt. Sans grabbed him and pulled him close in a hug. Zhèngyì screamed bloody murder and cried, Sans eventually having to clutch him tightly to stop him from moving and hurting himself.

Gaster, too, was not looking too good. Papyrus shuffled toward Merida, who was now barely breathing. His hand shook as he picked out a piece of candy and pressed it to the woman's lips.

"T-THE GREAT P-PAPYRUS WILL MAKE YOU BETTER. I-I AM GREAT, SO-SO… I CAN MAKE YOU BETTER…" He sniffled. "DON'T GO, HUMAN."

Merida chuckled weakly. She was so weak that the candy merely fell from her mouth and landed in the snow. Sans clutched Zhèngyì, who wouldn't stop sobbing. "Mommy… mommy please. Don't go-"

"Honey…" Merida said as her soul cracked down the middle. "Why don't you go play with your toys? I'm sure Sarah wants to… play with her little brother…"

She didn't open her eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey guys. This isn't the last chapter, but there will be another one after this. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**_

* * *

Frisk didn't think that they would ever see Asriel Dreemurr again. When they had saved him, more than a year ago, it had been a recurring nightmare. They would always imagine that Asriel never found the power to listen to Frisk, to understand that all that hate and fear was not his fault.

Yet there he was again, standing in the snow and facing off to Chara. It was oddly familiar- a horned god facing a child. Asriel was once again in his other form, the one that made him look taller, his horns larger and dressed in royal clothing. He held the swords in his hands, his face twisted in anger.

"Chara, stop this!" He bellowed as Chara took a swipe at him with their knives. "This isn't you!"

"Oh, that's rich!" Chara screamed as Frisk struggled to stay awake. "So, Frisk gave you a half of their soul; so WHAT? They're just using you, you stupid crybaby! When I'm gone, they'll have their happy ending. They'll be able to Reset with a clear conscience! They're just using you, Asriel."

Frisk blinked; the blast had knocked them cold and they seemed to have woken up in the middle of their fight. Lying a few feet away were Toriel, Grillby and Undyne. Grillby had been lying in the snow for so long his flames were barely burning and he looked sickly pale. Fire elementals and snow didn't really mix, which was why he lived only in his bar. Undyne, too, was lying motionless a few feet away. Frisk was struggling to breathe.

Frisk struggled to get up, but they felt weak. Their HP was low again and this time, no one was going to help them.

Chara was bloodied and their face was twisted with rage. Asriel was defending himself as best as he could and his body shone with a rainbow-like glow. Chara was not giving up and they were screaming insults at him, their knives growing larger and uncoordinated.

"They're just _using_ you, Asriel!" Chara screamed, summoning a particularly large knife and swiped at Asriel's arm. Asriel deflected it, his arms shaking as he did so. "This whole thing is so stupid! They'll get you to kill me, then Reset. They'll take their soul back and you'll be a flower again!"

Frisk wanted to tell Asriel that nothing like that would ever happen, but they couldn't speak. They instead shuffled and tried to stand, their body aching. They were sick, now. **_Asriel… Never again._** They signed, but Asriel couldn't see them.

"They won't do that." Asriel insisted. He summoned his sabres again, the swords glowing brightly as he tried to deflect Chara's knives. "I know them, Chara."

"You know them?!" Chara laughed, throwing their head back as they snapped more knives toward Asriel. "I lived inside their head for so long, I know they will! I was in their head, Asriel, I was there every time they Reset. I helped them along when they got bored and killed everyone. They got bored… and their solution was to **_murder every monster they came across._** "

Asriel's defence was weakened for a moment as he faltered and Chara smiled. Before Asriel could react, Chara leapt forward and stabbed a dagger into Asriel's arm. Asriel screamed and backpedalled, his arm beginning to bleed.

"See, Asriel?" Chara laughed as Asriel fell into the snow. "You can't win; you have no LOVE to beat me!"

Asriel struggled to move and Frisk watched with a horrified expression as Chara towered over him. Frisk got to their feet, finally, and called for help.

…

But nobody came.

"I'm going to kill you, then I'm going to kill Toriel." Chara snarled, straddling Asriel's chest. "Then I'll that stupid bar tender. Then that idiotic skeleton and his brother. I'll kill them; one by one until Frisk decides to stop being so selfish and reset." Chara raised the knife, a dark smile on their face. "You always were stupid, Asriel. Even when I killed myself for _our_ sake, you spared all these humans! These people will die because they're so hell-bent on a 'happy ending'. It's all just a stupid game for them, Asriel. How can you not see it?!"

Asriel glanced once at Frisk, who was struggling to stand. They were crying, sniffling and wiping their nose. **_I won't… do it again._**

"You little liar!" Chara screamed, their red eyes on fire as they raised the knife. "You think they won't? You're even more idiotic than I thought."

"C-Chara?" Came a soft voice.

Chara stiffened and turned ever so slightly. Toriel was helping Grillby to his feet and the bar tender's flames were non-existent. He looked smaller, as well. "Chara… child, please? Child… it's me."

Chara bore their teeth and Asriel took the opportunity. He threw Chara off and grabbed his sabres, continuing their fight as Toriel gave a quiet sob and tried to help Grillby limp away.

"I-I-I'm f-fine T-T-Toriel." Grillby stuttered. "Just a l-little cold."

"Hang in there, Grillby." Toriel said quietly, limping to Frisk. Her HP, which wasn't strong in the first place, was low to the point to where one more hit would be a death sentence for her. Frisk stumbled toward her as Asriel drove Chara back, realising that for every hit Asriel took, their HP suffered. Since their soul was split in half, they were getting most of the damage, being the original host. Frisk stumbled as Chara stabbed Asriel deep in his shoulder.

"Chara, stop!" Asriel screamed as Frisk suddenly fell, unconscious and breathing harshly.

"Why? Am I hurting your _friend_? The same one who killed Toriel the first chance they got? You should be thanking me!"

Asriel was barely fending off the attacks and summoning large fire spells. Chara dodged these easily, but one of them caught their shirt and it began to smoulder. Toriel had reached Frisk and was now desperately trying to awaken them, but their HP was already reaching 0.

"You can't do this, Chara!" Asriel snarled, deflecting another attack. "Frisk has already paid for what they've done!"

"Paid? In what, Asriel?! I died to free you all and the only way you repaid me was by letting all this scum live! Do you know what they did to me? Do you know what they put me through? I died so you could live, and then you had to go and cry about it! You're an idiot, Asriel!"

"Chara, please." Asriel begged, stepping back as Chara summoned more knives and sent them sailing toward him. Chara and Asriel were fighting to the death now whilst Toriel and Grillby tried to revive Frisk.

Toriel was crying and the tears feel on Frisk's face. Frisk's breathing was shallow and Toriel was desperately trying to get them to wake up. Undyne was barely stirring and when she finally sat up, there was some dust flaking off her face. She was hurt- badly.

"Frisk, honey, please wake up." Toriel sniffled, pressing her snout into Frisk's hair. "Please wake up, honey."

"C-come on… Frisk…" Grillby stuttered, reaching forward and stroking Frisk's hair. "You c-can't sleep now. It's t-too cold out h-here."

Frisk didn't move. Undyne struggled over, breathing hard. "Hey… wake up, punk." She whispered. "Wake up!"

Asriel was still fighting. Chara was now throwing everything into their attacks, the knives becoming full-blown swords that gleamed a bloody red. Asriel glanced over at Frisk, his heart stopping.

"Frisk!" He screamed.

Chara laughed. "Look at them; crying over a killer. Can you believe-"

 _"_ _Chara… please wake up, my child."_

 _"_ _You can't give up now, child." Came a deep voice. "Please… wake up."_

 _"_ _C-Chara?" It was Asriel. "I'm so sorry. S-so sorry."_

 _I don't want to die. I want to continue… but I want to free you all. Can you understand that, Asriel? Can you understand I want to die for you? Can you understand this is the only way?_

 _"_ _A-Asriel."_

 _"_ _Chara!"_

 _"_ _I-I w-want to see… the flowers."_

 _"_ _Wh-what flowers, Chara? What flowers?"_

 _The ones where they beat me. The ones where they tried to kill me and called me a monster. The ones where they forced me to walk to Mount Ebott and forced me to fall down the hole. Those flowers, Asriel. The golden ones that somehow always made me smile._

 _"_ _In m-my village…"_

The very same village that had killed Asriel was now beneath them, gone and destroyed. It had been destroyed by its own actions. The very men that had killed them were gone now, but it wasn't enough.

Chara raised their knife, screaming, but suddenly they weren't in the village anymore nor were they fighting Asriel.

 _"_ _Chara, show your creepy face!"_

 _"_ _This one?"_

 _"_ _Gah!"_

Their creepy face. They screamed as they recoiled, dropping the knife and stumbling backward. "Stop it, Asriel! Stop it!"

 _"_ _Asriel…"_

 _"_ _Chara, don't die! Please don't die!"_

 _"_ _Take… my soul…"_

 _"_ _What? No! I-I can't!"_

 _"_ _I hate humans… They're trash… especially me. I'm the worst person I know… I hate humans…_

 _"_ _But I love you."_

Chara fell back with a cry. They were weeping now. Asriel was standing over them, panting heavily. The Reset button, which through the entire battle had been sitting quietly in the corner, now shattered to pieces. It snapped in half before splintering as Chara covered their face. "No… no, what's happening to me?!"

"You don't want to fight me anymore, Chara…" Asriel said quietly.

"What? NO! I hate you! I hate all of you!" Chara screamed, standing and summoning a knife. "I hate you all!"

Asriel looked as if something were cracking inside him. "Chara… you don't… You- you like mom's pie. You like dad's flowers. And you liked drawing-"

"That person died!" Chara screamed, swiping their knife downward. "They died because you didn't have the guts to finish what we started!"

"Chara. Stop." Asriel said, deflecting the blow with little to no effort. "It's over."

"No! Frisk! Reset now or I'll- I'll kill him! I'll kill them all!"

But Frisk didn't hear. Chara turned to yell at them, but stopped dead in their tracks. Frisk was being held by Toriel and they weren't breathing too well. Grillby, too, was not looking good and Undyne, who had been through so much, now looked washed out and grey. Toriel looked up at Chara, tears matting her fur.

 _"_ _Oh, my child. Please wake up. Asgore! Asgore help me!"_

 _"_ _Mom! W-What happened?"_

 _"_ _Asriel, go outside! Asgore!"_

 _"_ _Why aren't they waking up?! Chara! Chara, wake up!_

 _"_ _What did I say? Go outside, now! Go to your room!"_

 _"_ _Mom, please! Chara! Chara!"_

"Chara!"

Chara had dropped the knife. Asriel was standing before them, his sabres at his sides. He too, looked tired. He was panting heavily, sweat rolling off him as he shook. "Chara…"

"Asriel…" Chara stuttered, shaking as they tried to stand up. "You… are an _idiot_ …" Chara summoned another knife and struggled forward. "They're just going… to use you."

"Chara… they won't. I know Frisk." Asriel was on the brink of crying. "They're not gonna hurt anyone anymore."

"How do you know…" Chara whispered. "How the _hell_ do you know? I watched them kill mom… dad… Sans…" Chara sniffed. "I don't think you realise what kind of a person they are."

"I know they're like you." Asriel said, smiling softly. "H-hey, remember that time we snuck out to Waterfall and… made those wishes?"

Chara looked up, their form flickering. The body they had stolen was fading rapidly and without a soul, they were dying. "The ones where we wanted to see the stars?"

Asriel chuckled softly. "Y-yeah. And how we wished to see the real stars. We got into so much trouble."

Chara gave a shaky laugh. "And we… put that music box in the statue."

 _"_ _C'mon, Chara!"_

 _"_ _Alright, Asriel! Jeez, have you ever heard of patience?"_

 _"_ _What's that?"_

 _"_ _It looks like… a statue? Hey, it looks like you!"_

Chara coughed, tears forming in their eyes. "Asriel… I'm going to die. Again."

Asriel looked taken aback. He took a step back and his hands shook. "W-What?"

"I don't have a body anymore, dingus." Chara laughed quietly, looking up at Asriel with a cold smile. "Surely you know this… I don't have a soul anymore. The Chara you knew… they died already. I died a long time ago, Asriel. It's alright…"

"N-No, Chara." Asriel said, falling onto his knees and reaching for Chara. "Stop m-messing around. You've done terrible things, but you can't die again."

"I've hurt so many people." Chara said, glancing over at Toriel, Grillby, Undyne and Frisk. "I'm s-so sorry…" Chara glanced at Asriel, their face twisting slightly. "I have no soul. You can't help me."

Asriel stood then, moving back a little. "Y-you're…" Asriel glanced at Frisk. "You're right. I can't help you."

Chara's face twisted. "You're not even going to try?! I'm dying! Help me!"

Chara's face cracked at the temple, black blood leaking out of the damage. They tried to stand, but their leg gave away and they lay sprawled in the snow, gnashing their teeth. "Help me!"

"I can't." Asriel said quietly. "I realise that now… I could never help you, Chara. I just made your life better, however short that time was. You're my sibling, Chara. You're my family… but you're right. You died a while ago."

"You _idiot._ Chara snarled, their face cracking in half. "I'll come back. Frisk won't even know what hit them. I'll come back and I'll kill _everyone_!"

They lunged for Asriel, who fell backward. He wouldn't have time to deflect the knife that Chara was bringing down on him and he couldn't stop the blade that would pierce his soul.

Then Chara was thrown off by a femur spearing their side and sending them flying into a tree, impaling them to the ancient oak.

Sans was standing in the snow, hand outstretched and his eye blazing so bright it looked like a blue star. "'Sup, kid? Long time since I did this."

"Had fun killing the other human?" Chara sneered, laughing. "How's your LV?"

"Still the same, brat." Sans said, his eye burning. He had a large grin on his face and a large gaster blaster appeared, the dog-like skull's eyes on fire. "Well… for now."

Chara's face twisted as Sans clenched his fist. The blast was so hot that the surrounding snow melted instantly and Asriel barely managed to dive out of the way. Sans was sparing no energy trying to destroy Chara and hiss eye was flaring such a hot blue that his jacket was beginning to smoulder.

"Sorry, brat." Sans said as the blaster finally stopped. He was barely sweating. "But Merida ain't dead, and I ain't gonna let you hurt anyone else."

"Liar!" Chara snarled, stumbling from the blast. It had wrenched half of their legs away, causing them to fall over. "I saw you kill her!"

"You saw me _hurt_ her. I never killed her. I would never kill an _innocent person_ , unlike you!" Sans summoned three more blasters, the massive skulls clacking their bones in anger. "This is your judgement, demon. You've hurt my friends. You've hurt my dad. I'm afraid I can't afford not to care anymore."

"I got you once, comedian." Chara sneered. "You can't dodge forever."

Sans was smiling and his eye flared. "Well… it's a good thing we ain't doing this forever." He shrugged as yet another gaster blaster appeared, then another. "I really don't like using this; I usually sleep for a few days afterwards. But I think I can make an exception, just for you."

Chara's eyes widened. "W-what're you gonna do?"

"Kido…" Sans said as his eye flared brighter than ever and more blasters materialised. Toriel was wise enough to grab Asriel and everyone made a hasty retreat, Frisk being carried by Grillby. Sans was alone with Chara, who looked around frantically as they realised that no one was going to help them.

"Sans, please." Chara stuttered. "I-I don't want to die. I don't- Let's talk about this-"

Sans grinned. "Shh… Just relax…" The blasters glowed a bright blue as they all opened their maws, the snow around the village melting at the heat. "And have a **_blast._** "

* * *

Frisk stirred in the warmth of the car, slowly opening their eyes. It took them a moment to realise where they were. They were in the backseat of a car, sitting on Sans' lap and wrapped up in his jacket. Sans was sleeping, snoring quietly whilst his left eye flickered on and off. Frisk blinked, shivering despite the warmth. Toriel was sitting next to Sans and Grillby was sleeping next to her, pressed up against the window and bundled up in several jackets.

Frisk wearily glanced behind them. There was an unknown woman sitting in the seats behind them, sleeping with a child that Frisk recognised from school. Next to them was Gaster, who gave Frisk a small smile.

 ** _Evening, child._** He signed, smiling. He was covered in purple blood, but looked unharmed. Papyrus was in the passenger seat, snoring whilst Undyne drove. Frisk shuffled, but Sans didn't wake up. He merely grumbled something under his breath and tightened his hold on them, as if afraid they would disappear.

 ** _Gaster?_** **_Are you alright?_**

Gaster smiled even wider as the car bumped over a small pothole. **_Child. I have you to thank. I have never been so happy._** He glanced over at Sans and the corners of his eyes filled with purple tears. **_I never thought I'd see them again… but your determination was so strong… it brought me back from the void. Sans looks so happy._**

Frisk looked up into Sans' face. He looked very peaceful, but tired. He gave a snort and his eye flickered. Frisk sniffed, realising they were coming down with flu. They glanced around the car again and their eyes finally took in the small monster sitting on Toriel's lap, sleeping soundly.

Asriel Dreemurr was fast asleep on his mother's lap, his face relaxed and still dressed in his green striped shirt. Frisk felt a lump in their throat and held tightly onto Sans. **_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._** They thought, over and over again. Sans had a smear of blood on his cheekbone and Frisk didn't want to know where he'd gotten it from. She had a feeling it was from Merida in the backseat. The woman had blood all over her jacket.

Frisk's sniffling woke up Sans, who blinked blearily and yawned. He glanced down at Frisk whilst his eye continued to stutter and flare.

"Heya, kiddo." He mumbled, still looking tired. "You alright?"

Frisk began to cry and Sans' eyes widened. He hugged them tightly, rubbing their shoulders as they cried into his warm jacket. "It's ok, Frisk." Sans said soothingly, rubbing their shoulders comfortingly. "Shh… Shh… It's ok. It's over."

"S-S-Sa-Sans-" Frisk hiccupped, sniffing as they threw their arms around Sans' neck. "I-I-I-"

"Shh, kid. It's ok. You don't have to use your voice if you don't want to. I know, kid. I know."

"D-D-Do you h-hate m-me?" Frisk sniffed, not used to ever using their voice.

Sans froze. "Hate you? Kid, why would I-?"

"I r-r-ran a-a-way." Frisk sniffed, their tears soaking through Sans' jacket. "I'm s-so so-sorry."

Sans let them cry, hugging them tightly as Undyne glanced back. Sans gave her a look that plainly stated to just let Frisk cry. Sans held them tightly, pressing his skull to the top of their head. "Kid. I don't know why you did what you did, but I'm just happy to have you back. I'm just happy you're ok." He gave a weak laugh. "We were all **_bonely_** without you. We love you a **_skele-ton._** You really **_rattled_** us a lot, but we love you very much, with every **_bone_** in our bodies."

Frisk had stopped crying and looked up at Sans, sniffing and smiling as he rattled off some of his best puns. He hugged them tightly, happy that he could hold them once again. He'd been terrified for them, but now here they were. Toriel had cried when Asriel reverted to a child again and when he didn't turn back into Flowey, she practically wept a river. Sans helped Gaster into the car and the whole time he did, he couldn't believe that he was back.

Sans had never told Papyrus about the father that disappeared from time and space. It had never come up in the conversation. But now there he was, sitting in the back, drifting off to sleep. Asriel Dreemurr was also here. It just seemed too surreal.

Frisk was silent for a while before they glanced up at Sans. "S-S-Sa-"

"It's ok, kiddo. Sign. You don't have to talk."

Frisk sniffled, but raised their hands. **_I'm so sorry. I won't do this ever again._**

Sans smiled and knocked his skull against their head. "I know, kid. I know. How's about we just forget about it? I'll get Papyrus to make you spaghetti after this. I'll even get Toriel to make some pie."

Frisk smiled, laying their head on his chest. **_Knock knock._**

Sans smiled. "Who's there?"

 ** _Olive._**

"Olive who?"

Frisk looked up at Sans, then around the car. Tears began to flow again as they signed the rest of the joke.

 ** _Olive you all very much._**

Sans smiled and hugged them even tighter. "Olive you too, kiddo. We all do."


	11. Chapter 11

**3 Months Later**

"Kiddo?! Hey, Frisk! This ain't funny anymore!" Sans called, his hand cuped around his mouth as he walked around the garden. "Frisk! Asriel?! Seriously, kids, Toriel's gonna have my head if you don't come back! Literally…"

Sans kicked the snow as he walked aimlessly around the back garden, searching for Frisk and Asriel. The kids had gone outside for a while to play and Sans had fallen asleep inside. Now they were nowhere to be seen.

"Kids!" Sans yelled, glancing around the garden. "Fris-"

"GET HIM!"

Sans went down in a tangle of limbs as Asriel tackled him from some bushes, laughing hysterically as Sans tried to get up. "Whoa, kid!" He said, coughing as snow got into his nose. "That's pretty **_cold_** of you." He sniggered as he turned and grabbed Asriel, heaving him high. "Hey, heard about blue attacks?"

Asriel laughed as Sans grabbed his soul, half red and half white, heaving him above his head. Asriel laughed and struggled as Sans finally got up, his eye flickering and shining as Asriel was levitated above him. "Alright, kid. Now, where's your partner in crime hidin'?"

"Frisk, get him!"

Sans yelped as someone very small and very fast tackled him to the ground, causing him to drop Asriel in a snow poff. Frisk giggled as they grabbed Sans' jacket and wrenched it off him.

"Hey, that's Sans property!" Sans said as he got up from the snow. Frisk danced away, yanking Asriel to his feet. The two of them bolted away, laughing hysterically as Sans stood and gave chase. "Kids, Toriel is gonna kill me! Get back here!"

"Can't kill a skeleton, numbskull!" Asriel giggled, his scarf fluttering as Frisk raced away with Sans' jacket. Sans laughed and grabbed Asriel's soul.

"Gotcha, goat boy!" He yelled triumphantly.

"Run, Frisk!" Asriel yelled as Sans dragged the prince toward him. "Go on without me!"

"You two are so grounded, coffee will envy you." Sans snickered as he grabbed Asriel by his collar and tucked him under his arm. "C'mon, Mr Dreemurr; let's go catch your accomplice."

It took a matter of seconds to catch Frisk. They had tried to hide behind a car and soon Sans had both children tucked under his arms, carrying them home. "No fair!" Asriel insisted, kicking his feet. "C'mon, Sans, it's no fun when you're faster than us. We should take your legs off, _then_ make you chase us."

Frisk nodded in agreement as Sans shook his head. "Wow. You kids are warped in the head."

"You smell funny." Asriel shot back, giggling as Sans glowered down at him.

"Hey, you might be the prince of the monsters, but I'm still taller than you."

"For now." Asriel said as Sans reached the door to his and Papyrus' house. Inside there was the smell of cooking spaghetti and butterscotch cinnamon pie. Sans kicked open the door and dumped the kids on the carpet.

"I got the kids!" He said as Asriel and Frisk scrambled to their feet. "Go wash up, kiddos. Punkle Sans needs a drink."

"We'll get our revenge!" Asriel yelled as he grabbed Frisk and raced up the stairs with them, both laughing hysterically and sending snow onto the carpet. He rubbed his skull as he strode into the kitchen, where Papyrus was standing at the stove.

"Hey bro." Sans said, dusting snow off his shirt and shorts. "That smells edible for once."

 ** _Sans. Be nice to your brother._**

Sans glanced over at Gaster, who was sitting quite calmly in the living room with a blanket draped over his legs. He was wearing his glasses, too, secured with cello tape.

"I'm just saying. It doesn't smell like any **_impastas._** "

"OH MY GOD, SANS!" Papyrus yelled, the spoon snapping in his hand. Sans howled with laughter as Papyrus tossed the ruined spoon over his shoulder and slammed open a cupboard door. "SANS THAT WAS MY BEST SPOON! TORIEL GAVE IT TO ME!"

Sans was howling with laughter and covered his eye sockets with his hands. "Oh god, I'm sorry, bro." He wheezed through his laughter. "Pft… Just don't forget-"

" ** _FORGETTI_** THE **_TOMETTI_**?!" Papyrus shouted, snapping yet another spoon in his hand.

Sans held his giggles and stuffed his hands in his shorts. "Forget to feed Frisk?"

Papyrus gave Sans a long hard stare, the broken spoon in his hand shaking. "BROTHER. GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN! LEAVE! YOU'RE SO LUCKY YOU HAVE ONE HP OR YOU'D BE DEAD!"

"You're hilarious, Pap." Sans sniggered as Papyrus shoved him out of the kitchen and into the living room, where Gaster was reading his newspaper and shaking his head.

 ** _You haven't changed much, have you, Sans?_**

"Welp, what can I say?" Sans said as he flopped down onto the couch. "I'm **_bone_** to be wild."

Gaster gave a small smile. **_Always my little comedian._** Gaster folded his newspaper and winced, rubbing his chest. Sans watched him carefully, aware that the wounds he had suffered during the fight with Chara had left their mark on him. "You ok, pops?"

 ** _Fine, Sans. Thank you. How is Frisk?_**

Sans reclined in the sofa, kicking his feet up on the table. "Uh… considering? They seem fine. Having their soul split in two seems to tire 'em out more than usual, but… Toriel's happy. Never seen her so happy before."

Gaster nodded, adjusting his glasses. **_Indeed. I would've thought that bringing just me back was an impossible feat, but to bring Asriel back? That's quite impressive. The child is very special._** Gaster gave Sans a look. **_Yet you still fear them._**

Sans didn't respond and instead leaned his skull back and rested it on the sofa. Gaster heaved a sigh. **_I thought as much._**

"Hey, I didn't say anything." Sans said, clenching his fists in his pocket.

 ** _Exactly my point. You were never really one to speak, Sans. You always hide behind jokes and laughs. Always my little comedian. Always there to make us smile._** Gaster removed his glasses. **_But I can tell, Sans, that you are scared the child will go back on their promise. You're scared they'll reset._**

"Really. It's fine." Sans said, burrowing deeper into the couch. "I believe 'em."

Gaster gave him a look, rubbing his glasses against his turtleneck. **_Mhmm. I told you to work on your lying. It appears you've only gotten worse._** Gaster looked as if he wanted to say something before he clenched his jaw shut and shook his head sadly.

"Oh, come on." Sans mumbled, shuffling to get more comfortable. " _Now_ you're just being ridiculous."

There was an abrupt knock on the door and Sans stood, cracking his knuckles.

Gaster gave him a look and replaced his glasses, which he secured with cello tape on the sides of his skull. Sans gave him a little wave before waltzing to the door. Standing outside, freezing in the cold, was Merida and Zhèngyì. The kid was all bundled up again against the snow and he bounced excitedly on his feet as he helped Merida to the door.

"Hello, Sans." She said happily. She looked much nicer with her hair down and she no longer had tired bags under her eyes. "I hope you don't mind, but Zhèngyì brought a present for you."

"Aw, that's nice." Sans said, smiling. "Sup, kiddo?"

"Hi, uncle Sans!" Zhèngyì said excitedly, bouncing on his feet before throwing himself at Sans in a tackle. "I missed you!"

Sans laughed and rubbed the child's head. "Yeah, yeah. Me too, squirt."

"I got you something!" Zhèngyì said as Merida chuckled and handed him a brightly-wrapped package. Sans blushed a bright blue as the kid handed it to him; getting gifts from other people was kind of still a new thing for him. He and Papyrus usually just gave each other things when it came to holiday season, but now they had… well, a bigger family.

"Aw, thanks, bro. You shouldn't have."

"Open it!" Zhèngyì said excitedly, his face alight with a large smile. Sans complied and opened the package. Inside were a pair of bright, brand new slippers. They were shaped like skulls, designed to look as if they were eating your feet.

"Wow. This is pretty cool, kiddo. Thanks." Sans grinned as the kid hugged him once more. Merida smiled and limped into the house.

"I hope we're not too late."

"Nah; Paps is still cooking dinner and Toriel had to rush to fetch Undyne and Alphys."

"Ah, I remember Undyne." Merida said as Zhèngyì helped her sit in a chair. She was still suffering from the battle a few months ago, but remarkably she didn't blame Sans. She didn't even pin it on him. Now she and Toriel were practically inseparable and Zhèngyì called Sans his 'Uncle'.

It was weird how things changed.

"Tea?" Sans offered as Merida glanced at Gaster and Zhèngyì sprinted up the stairs to Frisk and Asriel's room.

"Yes please." She said, smiling. "Sans, am I doing this right?"

She held up her hands and signed, very slowly. **_Hello. My name is Merida. How are you?_**

"Spot on." Sans held up a bony thumb. "Who knows? You might even be on Frisk's level soon."

"I doubt that. Frisk is more skilled than I." Merida gave a soft smile. "Odd to think that a few months ago you wouldn't catch me dead in a house full of monsters."

"Well, you know what they say." Sans said, striding toward the kitchen, where Papyrus was still struggling to find a spoon. " ** _Thyme_** heals all wounds." He sniggered as Papyrus bumped his skull on the spice rack.

"SANS! I SWEAR TO ASGORE I WILL IMPALE YOU WITH-"

"Hello, Papyrus!" Merida called happily from her chair.

Papyrus gasped and rushed into the room, still wearing his 'kiss the cook' apron that Frisk had bought for him. "HELLO, HUMAN! HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

"Even better at seeing the Great Papyrus." Merida giggled, smiling warmly.

"YOU ARE OFFICIALLY MY FAVOURITE HUMAN! WELL, THIRD FAVOURITE."

"Well, you're my favourite skeleton." Merida chuckled. "You must teach me how to heal like you do. It was quite something."

Papyrus beamed with pride. Sans smiled. Papyrus had always been better at healing than he was and he had proved as much when he literally brought Merida back from the brink of death. Sans had never been so proud of his brother. Merida was still recovering, as well as everybody else… but Sans was just happy that no one had died. Save for Chara.

But they deserved it.

"SANS! TORIEL NEEDS HELP WITH THE GROCERIES!" Papyrus yelled as he glanced out the window. "FRISK! ASRIEL! HELP!"

Sans sniggered and strode outside, Where Toriel was exiting the car with Grillby, Undyne and Alphys. Mettaton would be arriving shortly. Toriel smiled widely and her eyes shone. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Sans said, smiling back and taking the groceries.

* * *

Dinner that night was the best that Sans had ever had. Papyrus had made some spaghetti and Toriel had baked her butterscotch cinnamon pie. Mettaton had arrived in a flurry of sparkles and glitter, bearing some glamburgers. Undyne brought some of her own spaghetti, which resembled a melted lump of what used to be a pot. Even Alphys brought something, although it was an Anime that Sans had to confiscate before Frisk could see it.

Dinner was boisterous and Frisk was smiling, which was more than what Sans had hoped for. Sans' sides were hurting from all the laughter and the puns that Toriel had managed to spout.

"Sans, check what Frisk can do!" Asriel snorted around his plate of spaghetti.

Frisk giggled, then held up both their hands. Sans took a swig of his ketchup and watched. "What's so OH MY GOD FRISK!"

Sans choked on his ketchup and Papyrus began to scream. Frisk had, somehow, removed their _thumb_ from their _hand._

"PUT IT BACK, HUMAN!" Papyrus screamed, his plate sailing from the table and crashing on the sofa. Gaster was snickering wildly as Sans tried to stop choking on his drink. He failed miserably and ended falling back over his chair as Papyrus continued to scream. "HUMAN! PUT IT BACK! SANS, THE HUMAN HAS BROKEN THEIR THUMB OH MY GOD WE'LL HAVE TO FEED THEM-"

"P-Papyrus." Merida sniggered. "I can do that too."

She did the same trick and Papyrus screamed even louder. "OH MY GOD, SANS!"

Gaster looked as if he would never stop laughing and Sans finally surfaced, breathing heavily with ketchup trailing from his mouth. "Holy crap, kid." He coughed as he returned to his seat and reached for his ketchup. "Don't do that again. Stop laughing at me!"

But nobody could. Frisk had tears streaming down their face and Toriel was howling with laughter. Mettaton had his head on the table and was snickering so hard that he was sparking. Zhèngyì was huffing with laughter and Grillby was trying to hide his laughter behind his hot chocolate. Gaster had a sad smile on his face and he let out a loud chortle, slapping the table as he did so.

"Hey, Sans, wanna see what I can do?" Zhèngyì sniggered.

"Uh… will it make me queasy?"

It did. Sans rushed to the bathroom as Zhèngyì cracked his knuckles, his neck, his _freaking spine_. When Sans returned, the table had dissolved into pure laughter. Papyrus had fainted off to the side and Undyne was clutching her stomach.

"Humans are so freaking cool!" She rasped, pounding the table so hard that it snapped right in half. This caused even more laughter. Sans glowered at Frisk. "You're dead, kiddo!"

Frisk squealed and raced away, Sans chasing them up the stairs, down the stairs, into the kitchen and then around the table.

"Hey Sans, check what I can do!" Asriel yelled as he joined the chase.

"No!" Sans grabbed Asriel and Frisk, collapsing with them on the couch. "You sick kids ain't gonna break any more of your bones on my watch. Wait." He looked up in shock. "I forgot one! Undyne, catch him!"

Needless to say, it was a very good evening.

* * *

"Alright. Time for your bath, kiddo."

Frisk nodded and removed their shirt and sweater, dumping it in the wash basket. Sans tried not to stare at their back, but the scars were like headlights, just begging for him to ask what happened. Asriel seemed to already know and did not ask questions.

As Sans washed Frisk's hair, they glanced up at him and signed. **_Sans, can you take me somewhere tonight?_**

"Uh… sure?" He said as Asriel sneezed, sending bubbles spilling over onto the floor.

 ** _Promise you won't tell Toriel?_**

Now Sans was weary. He didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep. Frisk had already disappeared once and he didn't want it to happen again. He scratched his skull before shrugging and sighing. "Fine… I guess… But if it gets you into trouble, then I'll have to tell her. We care about you, kiddo, and we don't want you to get hurt again."

Asriel glanced over at Frisk, a soap beard in his fur. When Sans dried them off and Asriel went off to bed, Frisk returned to the bathroom, dressed in some warm clothes. Sans led them outside into the cold, the snow even thicker than it had been a few months before.

"So, where we off to, kiddo?"

 ** _My old house._** Frisk signed.

Sans paused, then glanced at them. "Is this still… about your parents?"

Frisk didn't answer and instead pulled out a scrap of worn, old paper. They held it out wordlessly to Sans, who read it in the dull light from a streetlamp.

"Rookwood Road?" He asked, scratching his skull. "Huh… Sounds familiar, but I can't say I know where it is-"

 ** _Need to take the number 3 bus, all the way to Ebott, then a small walk._** Frisk signed, looking at their feet. Sans could tell they were embarrassed. He didn't like the idea of going to Mount Ebott again; he didn't really want to return, but Frisk looked so… determined. They had a gleam in their eye that was nearly impossible to mistaken for anything else.

"Uh… alright… kid. I could just take the 'ole shortcut, though. I think I can muster up some juice to get us there." He shrugged. "Eh… It'd be quicker-"

Frisk threw their arms around Sans, hugging him tightly. They didn't sign, but it was enough. Sans smiled and held up his hand. "Alright, kiddo. Hold tight."

He snapped his fingers and a small tear in the air appeared, shining bright blue. Sans stepped through it, hand firmly clutching Frisk's own. Teleporting was always a weird feeling; his bones felt as if they had invisible pines prickling them, which actually tickled more than it hurt. There was complete blackness for a while before his feet hit a large snow poff. Mount Ebott loomed a few feet away, the craggy slopes covered in snow.

"Hey, we made it first try." He said proudly, dusting snow off his jacket. Then he realised that Frisk was nowhere near him. "Uh… kiddo?"

He heard a giggle. Above him.

"Kid?!" He yelled, glancing up. "Oh… my god."

Frisk waved happily from the top of a pine tree, having been teleported there instead of the ground. Their jacket had caught on one of the boughs, saving them from a fall, but stopping them from getting down.

"Oh… crap." Sans muttered, rubbing his skull. "Uh… Don't move?"

The branch broke.

"Crap, crap, CRAP!" Sans yelled as he dove to catch them. Frisk landed firmly in his arms and, to his dismay, **_both_** arms snapped off. The two of them landed in a large snow poff, Sans landed with his face in the snow whilst Frisk lay on top of his two dislocated arms, which waggled their fingers.

"Welp…" Sans sighed, lifting his head and grinning widely. "It looks like you **_unarmed_** me."

Frisk giggled, then helped Sans stand. Thankfully his one arm reattached fine, but the other one was still giving him trouble. Eventually Frisk offered to carry it until they got back home, where Papyrus or Gaster would fix it for him.

"So… uh… where to, kid?"

Frisk tugged at his jacket and he strode after them, his slippers crunching in the snow. They were at the foot of Mount Ebott and it brought back many memories. He'd been stuck under it for most of his life and it felt odd to be walking once more on top of it. Sans looked around, seeing that Frisk looked quite worried.

He patted their shoulders comfortingly and they leaned against him as they made their way through the snow. "Know where you're going?"

 ** _It's been a while, but I know where to go._**

Sans nodded, rubbing their shoulders. They walked in silence for a while, walking through a heavily wooded area. The trees were dead and Sans felt as if something was going to jump out and attack them. It was also bitterly cold, so he was happy the kid was bundled up. They walked for what seemed like hours before Sans found a small, out of the way trail. It was hidden by the snow, but Frisk followed it immediately, as if they had walked it many, many times before.

A few minutes later, Frisk froze in their tracks.

Sitting alone and quite abandoned was a house, covered in snow. Frisk clutched Sans even tighter and Sans glanced at the destroyed mailbox that stood on a small pole. **_Rookwood Road._**

"So… this is it…" Sans muttered, glancing at the house. "Uh… do you want me to-?"

Frisk held onto Sans, small sniffling noises that sounded like crying. Sans knelt and hugged them, glancing at the house with something akin to rage. He stood and ventured forward, Frisk reluctantly following him. They reached the door and Sans raised his hand to knock, but as soon as his hand touched the door it simply crashed to the floor. He winced and peered inside the dilapidated house.

It could've been a nice house, but it looked as if it had been abandoned in a hurry. There were still paintings of flowers and trees on the walls and the carpets had massive holes in them. Frisk finally stepped forward, glancing around with a very confused expression on their face. They glanced around before finally stepping into the house.

There were dead flowers in vases and in the dining room, there was an ancient guitar. Sans bent down and picked it up, strumming the strings. Frisk walked straight past him and into another passageway, where there were two doors. They hesitated at the first one before finally shoving it open. Sans followed, clutching the guitar and peeking into the room Frisk had entered.

It was a very bare room; the walls were painted a dull red and there was a large bed in the corner. There was a desk, which had an old box and a pad of ruined paper sitting on top of it.

Sans walked toward it, setting the guitar to one side and flipping open the paper. There was a very bad drawing with three people standing outside a house. They were clearly labelled; Mommy, Daddy and Me. They looked happy. Frisk was standing in front of an old chest of drawers and they yanked it open, looking into it. Inside were several pairs of pants, shirts and a single striped sweater. They picked it up and held it close to their chest, looking up at Sans.

 ** _They're gone._**

"Yeah… It looks like it. Sorry, kiddo."

Frisk looked down at their hands, then around at the room. Their hands shook as they hugged the sweater and Sans walked over to them, picking them up and heaving a sigh. "Kid… I know that I can't really help you with this… but… would you-"

Frisk leaned over as they passed the desk and picked up the pad of paper and the box. The pressed a finger to Sans' teeth in a gesture for silence. Sans blinked, then grinned. It took a moment, but Sans flipped open the sketchpad and scratched on the picture, crossing out their names and beginning to draw something different. Sans set Frisk at the chair and let them work whilst he sat on the bed, picking up the guitar. And strumming at the strings. He tuned it before beginning to play a light, sweet melody. Being made entirely of bone had its benefits; you didn't need a plectrum and it took very little effort to press the strings.

After a while, Frisk stood and sat with Sans on the bed as he strummed a sad, yet hopeful song. Frisk leaned their head on his shoulder as they finished their new picture. There were new people in the picture and Frisk was smiling in it. There were new people, all of them smiling. All of them holding hands.

Gaster. Undyne. Alphys. Mettaton. Asriel. Toriel. Asgore. Sans. Papyrus. In the corner, sitting alone and with a heart locket around their neck, was Chara.

They too, were smiling.

And for once…

They looked happy.


End file.
